Pronounced: GAH-nuff, noun
Notes: Also spelled gonif, goniff, or ganif – I have run across one of these variants
Yesterday’s word
The word bodacious means
- outright; unmistakable
- remarkable; noteworthy
- voluptuous
First usage
Our word came into English in the mid-1800s
Background / Comments
I have a recollection from my youth of reading some comic strip that was about hillbillies, and our word was used. The title escapes me, but I think it may have been “Snuffy Smith”. The background to this question is not known for certain; it is thought that it may be a combination of “bold” and “audacious”. In addition, there is a British word “boldacious” that may be linked in some manner to our word.
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 