guy

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: B2 — Upper-Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun an informal term for a youth or man
  2. noun an effigy of Guy Fawkes that is burned on a bonfire on Guy Fawkes Day
  3. noun a cable, wire, or rope that is used to brace something (especially a tent)

Etymology

Coined by semantic widening from the name of Guy Fawkes (1570–1606), an English Catholic executed for his role in the Gunpowder Plot, from Old French Gui, a form of Proto-Germanic *Wido, a short form of names beginning with the element witu "wood" from Proto-Germanic *widuz, such as Witold and Widukind. Cognate with Italian Guido.

In classic literature

Synonyms

cat, hombre, bozo

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