-gate
English edit
Etymology 1 edit
Back-formation from Watergate, an American political scandal from 1972–1974 which led to resignation of president Richard Nixon. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the suffix first appeared in a 1973 article in the National Lampoon magazine which referenced a rumoured "Volgagate".[1] The suffix was promoted by New York Times columnist William Safire, who coined several -gate words beginning in 1974.
Suffix edit
-gate
- Combined with a relevant place, person, activity, etc. to form the names of scandals.
- 2022 March 30, Tatum Hunter, “How to leave a bad online review without being a jerk”, in The Washington Post[1], Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 30 March 2022:
- Back in college, [Maddi] Filliater said she tweeted at a local sandwich shop about some alleged brown lettuce, and the business responded angrily: Why didn't she bring up the problem in person instead of attacking them on the Internet? Her friends refer to the incident as "LettuceGate."
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
Translations edit
component in names of scandals
See also edit
Etymology 2 edit
From Old English geat.
Suffix edit
-gate
- Used to form place names.
References edit
- ^ “gate, combform.”, in OED Online , Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
Further reading edit
- “-gate”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- “-gate”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
- “-gate”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
Anagrams edit
French edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from English -gate, from Watergate.
Pronunciation edit
Suffix edit
-gate m (plural -gates)
- -gate (forms names of scandals)
- 2012 June 8, “Up & Down”, in Grazia:
- C’est un quasi «currygate» qu’a provoqué Kim en confessant son dégoût de la nourriture indienne.
- Kim Kardashian triggered a virtual ‘currygate’ by confessing her dislike of Indian food.
Derived terms edit
German edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from English -gate, from Watergate.
Pronunciation edit
Suffix edit
-gate n
- -gate (forms names of scandals)