gauche

Meaning

1. Awkward or lacking in social graces; bumbling; apt to make gaffes.
2. (archaic) Skewed, not plane.
3. Describing a torsion angle of 60°.

Synonyms

awkward

unpolished

clumsy

maladroit

graceless

tactless

slouch

ungainly

boorish

uncouth

loutish

lubberly

lumpish

lumpy

silly

slob

sloughy

squirt

stupid

unapt

unhandy

unskillful

cack-handed

heavy handed

awkard

skilless

antigogglin

bumbling

clownish

dabbling

embarrassed

gawky

inapt

inconsiderate

indelicate

inelegant

Translations

torpe

linkisch

gauche

maldestro

αδέξιος

άκομψος

unbeholfen

goffo

desairado

desajeitado

maladroit

onhandig

acemi

beceriksiz

savruk

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɡəʊʃ/

Etymology

Cognate with Old High German: walchan

Cognate with Old English: wealcian

Cognate with English: walk

Cognate with Old Norse: valka

In summary

Borrowed from French gauche (“left, awkward”), from gauchir (“to veer, turn”), from Old French gaucher (“to trample, walk clumsily”), from Frankish *walkan (“to full, trample”), from Proto-Germanic *walkaną (“to full, roll up”). Akin to Old High German walchan (“to knead”), Old English wealcian (“to roll up, curl”) and English walk, Old Norse valka (“to drag about”). More at walk.