[goth-ik] 
| 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 the 16th 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, esp. in northern Europe, characterized by a tendency toward realism and interest in detail. |
| 3. | (initial capital letter) of or pertaining to Goths or their language. |
| 4. | (usually initial capital letter) of or pertaining to the music, esp. 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. |
| 8. | (initial capital letter) noting or pertaining to the alphabetical script introduced for the writing of Gothic by Ulfilas and derived by him from Greek uncials with the addition of some Latin and some invented letters. |
| 9. | (often initial capital letter) being of a genre of contemporary fiction typically relating the experiences of an often ingenuous heroine imperiled, as at an old mansion, where she typically becomes involved with a stern or mysterious but attractive man. |
| 10. | (usually initial capital letter) the arts and crafts of the Gothic period. |
| 11. | (initial capital letter) the extinct Germanic language of the Goths, preserved esp. in the 4th-century translation by Ulfilas of the Bible. Abbreviation: Goth, Goth., goth. |
| 12. | (often initial capital letter) a story, play, film, or other work in the gothic style. |
| 13. | (usually initial capital letter) British. black letter. |
| 14. | (often initial capital letter) a square-cut printing type without serifs or hairlines. |
black letter  (click for larger image in new window) n. A heavy typeface with very broad counters and thick ornamental serifs. Also called gothic, Old English. |
| Goth·ic (gŏth'ĭk) adj.
Word History: The combination Gothic romance represents a union of two of the major influences in the development of European culture, the Roman Empire and the Germanic tribes that invaded it. The Roman origins of romance must be sought in the etymology of that word, but we can see clearly that Gothic is related to the name Goth used for one of those invading Germanic tribes. The word Gothic, first recorded in 1611 in a reference to the language of the Goths, was extended in sense in several ways, meaning "Germanic," "medieval, not classical," "barbarous," and also an architectural style that was not Greek or Roman. Horace Walpole applied the word Gothic to his novel The Castle of Otranto, a Gothic Story (1765) in the sense "medieval, not classical." From this novel filled with scenes of terror and gloom in a medieval setting descended a literary genre still popular today; from its subtitle descended the name for it. |
sans ser·if (sān sěr'ĭf)  (click for larger image in new window) n. A typeface without serifs. Also called gothic. sans-ser'if adj. |
In European architecture, the dominant style during the late Middle Ages, characterized by slender towers, pointed arches, soaring ceilings, and flying buttresses. Many great cathedrals, including Chartres and Notre Dame de Paris, were built in this style.