Gauche
/ɡoʊʃ/noun
Awkward, clumsy, or lacking social grace.
Did you know?*Gauche* entered English from French, where it originally meant simply “left-handed” or “left,” but centuries of cultural bias against the left side turned it into a word for awkwardness and bad manners.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵʰews- / *ǵʰewH-
“to pour, flow, or bend; an ancient root often connected to the idea of turning or slanting”
Latin
Latin
gavus / gauvus
“left-handed, awkward (a likely Gaulish or regional source behind French forms)”
Old French
Old French
gauche
“left, left-handed; later also awkward or clumsy”
Middle French
French
gauche
“left; lacking grace or social polish”
18th Century
English
gauche
“awkward, tactless, lacking social grace”
Modern English
English
gauche
“socially awkward or lacking tact”
Explore more surprising origins