Etymology of Gothic

Hi, have you ever wondered what the origin of the word Gothic is?

Here is some information to understand the origin of it.

Most people when they hear the word “Gothic” think about scary, grim or lugubrious places like caste dungeons accompanied with the fear of supernatural beings or monsters.

A scenario I imagine when I hear the word Gothic.

:Gothic comes from the Latin gothicus and gives the origins for the term in other language:
  Gothic in English  -     

-                    -  Gótico in Spanish

-                   -  Gothique in French

-                   - Gótico in Italian

-                  -  Gotisch in German

The first use of the word Gothic as an adjective was for designing something associated with the Goth culture. Historians generally use the term for designing the invaders that expanded after the fall of The Roman Empire, the different people shared a very similar phonetic name, Goths, Gets and Jutes.

Goths crossing the Danuvio 3756 A.D.

The term in English has an additional meaning over the Spanish translation, Goth means “a rude or barbaric person” the kind of habitant of the medieval era, an era completely opposed to the classic period.

Through the XVIII century it was used for designing those who supported democracy, both ina positive or negative way.

The term also designs the artistic movement developed through Europe until the renaissance.

In a letter from Raphael, the painter, to the Pope Leon X Gothic is associated with the medieval Goth People, as it was thought the architecture try to emulate the natural shapes of Northern Europe forests.

A European northern forest.

Gothic as an adjective to describe an architecture style appears for the first time in 1610, when the Belgian priest Carolius Scribanius describes the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp as “Opus Goticum”.

The Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp.

Today, Gothic has seven means.

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 the16th 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, especially in northern Europe, characterized by a tendency toward realism and interest in detail.

3. (initial capital letter) of or relating to Goths or their language.

4.(usually initial capital letter) of or relating to the music, especially 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.

I hope this tiny article might help you understand the origin of Gothic as an adjective..

Bibliography:

Navarro, A. J. (2010). Pesadillas en la oscuridad. Madrid: Valdemar.

Gothic films, gothic society, gothic art, origins of gothic, how to become a gothic, horror films, satanic culture, satanic society, heavy metal society, greatest slasher film, greatest horror film, history of the horror genre. "Shi Ge Ryu", Shi Ge Ryu

"Shi Ge Ryu", "shigeryu", "shi geryu", "shige ryu" Shi Ge Ryu, shigeryu, shige ryu, shi geryu,

shingenryu, shingen-ryu, shin gen ryu, "shingenryu", "shingen-ryu", "shin gen ryu"