Crossword clues for gord
gord
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Gord \Gord\, n. [Written also gourd.] [Perh. hollow, and so
named in allusion to a gourd.]
An instrument of gaming; a sort of dice. [Obs.]
--Beau. & Fl.
Wiktionary
n. (context obsolete English) An instrument of gaming; a sort of dice.
Wikipedia
Gord may refer to:
A gord is a medieval Slavonic fortified settlement, also occasionally known as a burgwall or Slavic burgwall after the German term for such sites. The ancient peoples were known for building wooden fortified settlements. The reconstructed Centum-satem isogloss word for such a settlement is g'herdh, gordъ, related to the Germanic *gard and *gart (as in Stuttgart etc.). This Proto-Slavic word (*gordъ) for town or city, later differentiated into grad ( Cyrillic: град), gard, gorod (Cyrillic: город), etc.
Similar strongholds were built during the late Bronze and early Iron Ages by the Lusatian culture (ca. 1300 BC – 500 BC), and later in the 7th - 8th centuries BC in modern-day Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, eastern Germany and India (although in India the suffix for these strongholds was "garh" not "gorod"). These settlements were usually founded on strategic sites such as hills, riverbanks, lake islands or peninsulas.
A typical gord was a group of wooden houses, built either in rows or in circles, surrounded by one or more rings of walls made of earth and wood, a palisade and/or moats. Some gords were ring-shaped, with a round, oval or occasionally polygonal fence or wall surrounding a hollow. Others, built on a natural hill or a man-made mound, were cone-shaped. Those with a natural defense on one side, such as a river or lake, were usually horseshoe-shaped.
Most gords were built in densely populated areas, and situated in places which presented particular natural advantages. However, as Slavic tribes combined to form states, gords were also built for defense purposes in less populated border areas.
Those gords that served as a ruler's residences or which lay on trade routes quickly expanded. A suburbium formed near or below the gord; its population serviced the residents of the gord and could shelter within the gord's walls in the event of danger. Eventually the suburbium would have its own fence or wall. In the High Middle Ages, the gord normally evolved into a castle or citadel ( kremlin), and the suburbium into a town.
Some other gords did not stand the test of time and were abandoned or destroyed, gradually turning into more or less discernible mounds or rings of earth (known in Russian as gorodische, in Polish as grodzisko, in Ukrainian as horodyshche, in Slovak as hradisko, in Czech as hradiště and in Serbian as gradiška/градишка). Notable archeological sites include Biskupin, Poland and Bilsk, Ukraine (see Gelonus).
It is interesting to note that although this suffix is mainly attributed to European countries, the suffix "-garh" as mentioned earlier also appears in the names of Indian cities and towns. "Garh" means Fort in Hindi, Sanskrit and other Indo-Aryan languages which is very similar to the Slavonic origins of the word "gorod". Owing to the large amount of similar vocabulary in Russian and Sanskrit, the possible connection between "garh" and "gorod" seems plausible.
Indian cities and towns often end with a variety of suffixes, most of them having Persian origins owing to the strong cultural, linguistic and religious influences from Persia dating back to the early Ancient period, stretching to the Medieval period.
The Proto-Slavic word *gordъ means a "fenced area", compare to Ukrainian horodyty, Czech ohradit, Russian ogradit, Croatian/Serbian ograditi and Polish ogradzać, grodzić meaning "to fence off". The word's root is in the Proto-Indo-European language; its cognates are the numerous English words related to an enclosure: "yard", "garth", "girdle" and "court." In some modern Slavic languages, *gordъ has evolved into words for a " garden" (likewise a fenced area, from which Latin hortus, and English horticulture and orchard):
- Ukrainian город (horod)
- Russian огород (ogorod)
- Serbian, Bulgarian, and Macedonian градина (gradina), Serbian oграда/ograda
- Polish ogród
- Slovak záhrada
- Czech zahrada
In some Slavic languages, *gord has evolved into a word for "town" or "city":
- Russian gorod
- Ancient Pomeranian and modern Kaszubian gard
- Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene, and Serbian град(grad)
- Slovak and Czech hrad (nowadays means castle)
- Polish gród
The Polish word podgrodzie meant settlement near a town (Slavic prefix pod- means "under" or "below", equivalent of Latin sub-) because in fact gród was built at hill's top frequently. It survived to these days in names of several villages (i.e. Podgrodzie, Subcarpathian Voivodeship) and town's districts (i.e. district of Olsztyn). It's also still found in Puttgarden in Wagria and Putgarten on Rügen in Germany.
The names of many Central and Eastern European cities hark back to their past as gords. Some of them are in countries which used to be, but no longer are, inhabited mostly by Slavic-speaking peoples. Examples include:
- Horodok
- Gorod (toponymy)
- Hrod (toponymy)
- Harad (toponymy)
- Hrud (toponymy)
- Horod (toponymy)
- Hrad (toponymy)
- Gard (toponymy)
- Grod (toponymy)
- Grad (toponymy)
In addition, there are Graz in Austria and Gartz in Germany.
In Ancient Iran, Gerd had the same meaning. This word changed to Jerd after the Arab invasion. Burugerd or Borujerd is a city in the West of Iran.
Gord is a given name, especially popular in Canada, often as a diminutive form of Gordon, and may refer to:
In sports:
- Gord Ash, assistant general manager for the Milwaukee Brewers
- Gord Kluzak, retired NHL defenseman who played his entire career for the Boston Bruins
- Gord Miller (sportscaster), Canadian sportscaster for the cable network TSN
- Gord Spence, Professional Hockey player who played 1 season in the National Hockey League for the Toronto St. Pats
In politics:
- Gord Mackintosh, politician in Manitoba, Canada
- Gord Miller (politician), former politician in Ontario, Canada
In ecology:
- Gord Miller (environmental commissioner), the current Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, Canada
- Gord Perks, Canadian environmentalist, political activist, and writer
In fiction:
- Gord Afrid ( Gordafarid) was a female warrior in Shahnama
- Ranger Gord, fictional character on The Red Green Show, full name Gordon Ranger
- Gord Vendome, a character in the video game Bully
In other fields:
- Gord Downie, lead singer for the popular Canadian rock group The Tragically Hip
- Gord Martineau, Canadian television journalist
- Gord Sinclair, bass guitarist for the popular Canadian rock group The Tragically Hip
Usage examples of "gord".
Without hesitation, Gord sprang into attack, his sword darting into extended position and his dagger held ready for a follow-up thrust.
A special contingent accompanied these soldiers, and Gord was a part of that smaller group.
Meanwhile, Gord and his associates, along with others of the special force, began seeking their skillful counterparts within the castle.
Thus, Gord had come upon the wicked commander of the fortress lost in his butchery, attacked, and slain him.
The second floor seemed to have been cleared, and Gord noted that archers and crossbow-armed dwarves were sniping from embrasures at the defenders below.
As the wounded magician reeled and fell, Gord leaped and rolled into the area beyond the portal.
Gord thought himself successful, as the fellow moved away from his threatening blades, but then Gord was struck by a kick that drove him against the stone wall and nearly left him breathless.
The fellow actually turned his back, or looked away too often, for Gord to be able to lock his gaze on that of his adversary.
Something in those eyes, or a tension displayed in neck or body, alerted Gord, and he was ready when the exotic posturing suddenly turned into a furious assault.
The bastard had used the opportunity of insult exchange to somehow partially heal himself, Gord realized.
The process required some concentration, though, and Gord acted on the assumption that his foe was distracted.
A lightninglike series of exchanges followed, with slight pauses between series, where Gord taunted and jibed, and his adversary made strange noises and grimaces.
Both men were hurt - Gord battered and bruised, and the blond, weaponless opponent slashed and stabbed.
Who was getting the better of it, Gord could not guess, for he had never faced such an opponent before.
Out of the corner of his eye, Gord saw that this unarmed fighter was also showing signs of having been hurt.