English

Noun

gest ‎(plural gests)

1. (obsolete) A gesture or action.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, II.ix:

     They did obeysaunce, as beseemed right, / And then againe returned to their restes: / The Porter eke to her did lout with humble gestes.

   • 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essayes, London: Edward Blount, OCLC 946730821, II.36:

     more Kings and Princes have written his gestes and actions, than any other historians, of what quality soever, have registred the gests, or collected the actions of any other King or Prince that ever was […].

2. (archaic) A story or adventure; a verse or prose romance.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Chaucer to this entry?)

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Spenser to this entry?)

3. (archaic) An action represented in sports, plays, or on the stage; show; ceremony.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Mede to this entry?)

4. (archaic) bearing; deportment
   • Spenser

     through his heroic grace and honorable gest

Translations

Etymology 2

Compare gist a resting place.

Noun

gest ‎(plural gests)

1. (obsolete) A stage in travelling; a stop for rest or lodging in a journey; a rest.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Kersey to this entry?)

2. (obsolete) A roll reciting the several stages arranged for a royal progress.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Hanmer to this entry?)

Anagrams

• gets, steg, tegs

Icelandic

Noun

gest

1. indefinite accusative singular of gestur

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin gestus, via French geste

Noun

gest m ‎(definite singular gesten, indefinite plural gester, definite plural gestene)

1. a gesture

References

• “gest” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin gestus, via French geste

Noun

gest m ‎(definite singular gesten, indefinite plural gestar, definite plural gestane)

1. a gesture

References

• “gest” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old Saxon

Etymology

From (West) Proto-Germanic *gaistaz. Cognate with Old English gāst, Old Frisian gāst, jēst, Dutch geest, Old High German geist (German Geist). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeysd-, *ǵʰisd- ‎(“anger, agitation”).

Noun

gēst m

1. A soul, spirit, breath

Declension

Descendants

• Middle Low German: gēst, geist
  • Low German: geest

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɛst/

Noun

gest m inan

1. gesture

Declension

Romanian

Etymology

From French geste.

Noun

gest n ‎(plural gesturi)

1. gesture

Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɧɛst/

Noun

gest c

1. a gesture; a motion of the hands

   gäster med gester

   guests with gestures (title of a Swedish TV show)

2. a gesture; a symbolic action, a signal

Declension

Related terms

• gestik
• gestikulation
• gestikulera
• gestikulering
• gestisk
• gestuell

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɛst/

Verb

gest

1. Soft mutation of cest.