577
Georgian
by which a street or area formerly lived in by poor people is changed by people with more money going to live there
—gentrify /'dʒentrɪfaɪ/ v [T usually pass.]
**CULTURAL NOTE** Gentrification is considered a bad thing by some people because it means that poor people, who may have been born and grown up in the area, can no longer afford to live there.
**gen·try** /'dʒentri/ n [(the) P] people of high social class: *The landed gentry are those who own land from which they obtain their income.*
**gents** /dʒents/ BrE ∥ also **men's room** AmE — n [(often cap.)] a public TOILET for men ➔ compare LADIES; see TOILET (USAGE)
**gen·u·flect** /'dʒenjuﬂekt/ v [(before)] fml to bend one's knee as a sign of respect: *They genuflected before the altar.* —**ion** /ˌdʒenju'ﬂekən/ n [C;U]
**gen·u·ine** /'dʒenjuɪn/ adj 1 actually being what he/she/it seems to be; real: *'Is this a genuine Ming vase?' 'No, it's a fake.'* | *'This service is only available to genuine tourists.'* 2 without dishonesty or pretending; sincere: *We all feel genuine concern for their plight.* | *She's a very genuine person.* | *a genuine attempt to settle their disagreements* —**ly** adv —**ness** n [U]
**ge·nus** /'dʒiːnəs/ n pl. **genera** /'dʒenərə/ tech a division of animals or plants, below a FAMILY and above a SPECIES ➔ see also GENERIC
**geo-** ➔ see WORD FORMATION TABLE
**ge·o·cen·tric** /ˌdʒiːəu'sentrɪk/ adj having, or measured from, the Earth as the central point: *In former times, people thought the universe was geocentric.*
**ge·o·de·sic** /ˌdʒiːəu'diːsɪk/ ∥ '-des-/ n, adj tech of or being the shortest distance between two points on a non-flat surface, such as a SPHERE (=ball-like object): *flying on the geodesic between New York and Tokyo*
**geodesic 'dome** n tech a large ball-shaped building made from small, straight pieces connected together to form POLYGONS
**ge·og·ra·phy** /dʒi'ɒɡrəfi, 'dʒɒɡrəfi||dʒi'ɑːɡ-/ n 1 [U] the study of the countries of the world and of the seas, rivers, towns etc on the Earth's surface: *a geography lesson* 2 [the+of] the arrangement or positions of the parts of (a particular place): *Until you know the geography of the building it's not easy to find your way out!* —**pher** n —**phical** /ˌdʒiːə'ɡræfɪkəl/ adj: *geographical knowledge* —**phically** /-kli/ adv
**ge·ol·o·gy** /dʒi'lədʒi||-'ɑːl/ n [U] the study of the materials (rocks, soil etc) which make up the Earth, and of their changes during the history of the world —**gist** n —**gical** /ˌdʒiːə'lɒdʒɪkəl||-'lɑː-/ adj: *geological formations* —**gically** /-kli/ adv
**ge·o·met·ric** /ˌdʒiːə'metrɪk/ also **geo·met·ri·cal** /-ɪkəl/ adj 1 concerning geometry 2 (especially of straight lines and regular patterns) like the figures in geometry: *Muslim art is characterized by geometric patterns.* —**ally** /-kli/ adv
**geometric pro'gression** also **.geo,metrical pro'gression** n a set of numbers in order, in which each is multiplied by a fixed number to produce the next (as in 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, ...) ➔ compare ARITHMETIC PROGRESSION
**ge·om·e·try** /dʒi'ɒmɪtri||-'ɑːm-/ n [U] the study in MATHEMATICS of the angles and shapes formed by the relationships of lines, surfaces, and solids in space
**ge·o·phys·ics** /ˌdʒiːəu'fɪzɪks/ n [U] the study of the movements and activities of parts of the Earth, including the sea bed —**ical** /ˌdʒiːəu'fɪzɪkəl/ adj
**ge·o·pol·i·tics** /ˌdʒiːəu'pɒlɪtɪks||-'pɑː-/ n [U] the study of the effect of a country's position, population etc, on its politics —**tical** /ˌdʒiːəupə'lɪtɪkəl/ adj
**Geor·die** /'dʒɔːdi||'dʒɔːr-/ n BrE 1 [C] someone from Tyneside in northeast England 2 [U] a way of speaking typical of people from Tyneside —**Geordie** adj
**George** /dʒɔːdʒ||dʒɔːrdʒ/ n **by George!** old-fashioned spoken used when you are pleasantly surprised: *By George, I think you're right!*
**George, Saint** (?-303 AD) the PATRON SAINT of England. He was born in eastern ASIA MINOR, became a soldier in the Roman army, and was officially killed in PALESTINE because of his Christian beliefs. He is said to have saved the life of a woman by killing a DRAGON (=an imaginary large animal that breathes fire), and he is always shown in pictures doing this. St George's Day, 23rd April, is celebrated as the English national day.
**George 'Cross, the** an honour given to British people not in the armed forces who do something extremely brave, e.g. saving someone else's life at great danger to themselves. It is given very rarely and thought to be a sign of great respect and admiration.
**George I, King** /ˌdʒɔdʒ ðə 'fɜːst||ˌdʒɔrdʒ ðə 'fɜːrst/ (1660-1727) the king of Great Britain and Ireland from 1714 until his death. He was born in Germany and spent most of his time there, and he never learned to speak English. This made him very unpopular, and his lack of interest in government led to Britain having its first Prime Minister.
**George II, King** /ˌdʒɔːdʒ ðə 'sekənd||ˌdʒɔːrdʒ-/ (1683-1760) the king of Great Britain and Ireland from 1727 to 1760. He was the last king to lead his men personally in battle.
**George III, King** /ˌdʒɔːdʒ ðə 'θɜːd||ˌdʒɔrdʒ ðə 'θɜːrd/ (1738-1820) the king of Great Britain and Ireland from 1760 until his death. He is remembered in the US as the British king at the time of the AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR, when the US fought to become independent of Britain. He suffered at times from a serious mental illness, and this is described in the film *The Madness of King George*.
**George IV, King** /ˌdʒɔːdʒ ðə 'fɔːθ||ˌdʒɔːrdʒ ðə 'fɔːrθ/ (1762-1830) the king of Great Britain and Ireland from 1820 until his death. From 1811 to 1820, he acted as king and had the title 'Prince Regent', because his father, King George III, was mentally ill and unable to rule. This period of British history is called 'the Regency'.
**George 'Medal, the** an honour in the form of a red RIBBON with five blue STRIPES. It is given for similar acts of bravery as the George Cross but is not such a high honour.
**George·town** /'dʒɔːdʒtaun||'dʒɔrdʒ-/ 1 a fashionable area of Washington, D.C., where there are many expensive shops and houses. It is also known for its university. 2 the capital city of Guyana 3 the capital of the Cayman Islands
**George V, King** /ˌdʒɔːdʒ ðə 'fɪfθ||ˌdʒɔːrdʒ-/ (1865-1936) the British king from 1910 until his death. When Britain was fighting Germany during World War I, he stopped using German titles, and the name of the royal family was changed from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor.
**George VI, King** /ˌdʒɔdʒ ðə 'sɪksθ||ˌdʒɔːrdʒ-/ (1895-1952) the British king from 1936 until his death, and the father of Queen Elizabeth II. During World War II, he and his wife Elizabeth (who was called the QUEEN MOTHER) were popular in the UK because they continued to live in London when it was being bombed, and they accepted the same food restrictions as ordinary people.
**George Wim·pey** /ˌdʒɔdʒ 'wimpɪlˌdʒɔːrdʒ-/ trademark a large British building company that builds groups of private houses in many parts of the UK. Although the company builds houses of all sizes and types, people think of Wimpey houses as all looking the same and having no unusual features.
**Geor·gia** /'dʒɔdʒə||'dʒɔːr-/ 1 written abbrev. GA a state in the southeast US, one of the original 13 states established under British rule. Its capital and largest city is Atlanta, an important industrial centre for the southeastern US. 2 a country in the extreme southeast of Europe, east of the Black Sea. Georgia was one of the states of the former Soviet Union. Population: 4,934,413 (2003). Capital: Tbilisi. —**Georgian** n
**Geor·gian** /'dʒɔdʒən, -dʒiən||'dʒɔːrdʒən/ adj 1 Georgian buildings, furniture etc come from the period in the 18th century (1714 to 1830) when Britain was ruled by the Kings George I, II, and III. Georgian buildings etc were built in a NEOCLASSICAL style (=made recently but in a style of former