goose

 
Pronunciation: /guːs/

noun (plural geese /giːs/)

  • 1a large waterbird with a long neck, short legs, webbed feet, and a short broad bill. Generally geese are larger than ducks and have longer necks and shorter bills.
    • Several genera in the family Anatidae; most domesticated geese are descended from the greylag
  • a female goose.
  • [mass noun] the flesh of a goose as food.
  • 2 informal a foolish person: ‘Silly goose,’ he murmured fondly
  • 3 (plural gooses) a tailor’s smoothing iron.

verb

[with object] informal
  • 1poke (someone) in the bottom.
  • 2North American give (something) a boost; invigorate: the government’s desire to goose the tired housing market

Origin:

Old English gōs, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch gans and German Gans, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin anser and Greek khēn