gormless [gawrm-lis] Word Origin adjective Chiefly British Informal.
- lacking in vitality or intelligence; stupid, dull, or clumsy.
Origin of gormless First recorded in 1880–90; respelling of earlier gaumless Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019 British Dictionary definitions for gormless gormless adjective
- British informal stupid; dull
Word Origin for gormless C19: variant of C18 gaumless, from dialect gome, from Old English gom, gome, from Old Norse gaumr heed Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for gormless adj.
c.1746, “wanting sense,” a British dialectal word, from gome “notice, understanding” (c.1200), from Old Norse gaumr “care, heed,” of unknown origin; + -less.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper