goth·ic [goth-ik]
–adjective
1. ( usually initial capital letter ) noting or pertaining to a style of architecture, originating in France in the middle of the 12th century and existing in the western half of Europe through the middle of the 16th century, characterized by the use of the pointed arch and the ribbed vault, by the use of fine woodwork and stonework, by a progressive lightening of structure, and by the use of such features as flying buttresses, ornamental gables, crockets, and foils.
2. ( usually initial capital letter ) pertaining to or designating the style of painting, sculpture, etc., produced between the 13th and 15th centuries, esp. in northern Europe, characterized by a tendency toward realism and interest in detail.
3. ( initial capital letter ) of or pertaining to Goths or their language.
4. ( usually initial capital letter ) of or pertaining to the music, esp. of northern Europe, of the period roughly from 1200 to 1450, including that of the Ars Antiqua, Ars Nova, and the Burgundian school.
5. ( usually initial capital letter ) pertaining to the Middle Ages; medieval.
6. ( sometimes initial capital letter ) barbarous or crude.
7. ( often initial capital letter ) noting or pertaining to a style of literature characterized by a gloomy setting, grotesque, mysterious, or violent events, and an atmosphere of degeneration and decay: 19th-century gothic novels.
8. ( initial capital letter ) noting or pertaining to the alphabetical script introduced for the writing of Gothic by Ulfilas and derived by him from Greek uncials with the addition of some Latin and some invented letters.
9. ( often initial capital letter ) being of a genre of contemporary fiction typically relating the experiences of an often ingenuous heroine imperiled, as at an old mansion, where she typically becomes involved with a stern or mysterious but attractive man.
–noun
10. ( usually initial capital letter ) the arts and crafts of the Gothic period.
11. ( initial capital letter ) the extinct Germanic language of the Goths, preserved esp. in the 4th-century translation by Ulfilas of the Bible. Abbreviation: Goth, Goth., goth.
12. ( often initial capital letter ) a story, play, film, or other work in the gothic style.
13. ( usually initial capital letter ) British . black letter.
14. ( often initial capital letter ) a square-cut printing type without serifs or hairlines.
Goth (ɡɒθ)
— n
1. Ostrogoth See also Visigoth a member of an East Germanic people from Scandinavia who settled south of the Baltic early in the first millennium ad . They moved on to the Ukrainian steppes and raided and later invaded many parts of the Roman Empire from the 3rd to the 5th century
2. a rude or barbaric person
3. ( sometimes not capital ) an aficionado of Goth music and fashion
— adj
4. ( sometimes not capital ) Also: Gothic
a. (of music) in a style of guitar-based rock with some similarities to heavy metal and punk and usually characterized by depressing or mournful lyrics
b. (of fashion) characterized by black clothes and heavy make-up, often creating a ghostly appearance
