gi

1 of 6

abbreviation (1)

gill
1
: provided by an official U.S. military supply department
GI shoes
2
: of, relating to, or characteristic of U.S. military personnel
3
: conforming to military regulations or customs
a GI haircut

GI

3 of 6

noun

plural GIs or GI's ˌjē-ˈīz How to pronounce GI (audio)
: a member or former member of the U.S. armed forces
especially : a man enlisted in the army

GI

4 of 6

adverb

: in a strictly regulation manner

GI

5 of 6

verb

transitive verb

: to clean (something) thoroughly in preparation for or as if for a military inspection
The barracks … were in fine order—they'd been GI'd the night before.New Republic

GI

6 of 6

abbreviation (2)

1
galvanized iron
2
gastrointestinal
3
general issue; government issue
4

Examples of gi in a Sentence

Verb in preparation for one of her mother-in-law's dreaded visits, she had GI'd the whole house
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Girls might trade Barbie dolls, while boys might trade baseball cards or GI Joes. Zain Jaffer, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2024 Slow-moving food and stool throughout the GI tract contribute to the link between constipation and nausea. Colleen Stinchcombe, Health, 2 Mar. 2024 Also, the gluconate form can be known to cause more gastrointestinal (GI) upset than other forms of iron.1 These tablets also contain artificial colorings. Casey Seiden, Parents, 26 Feb. 2024 It's been compared to the GI Bill in its ability to launch some young adults into the middle class, thus benefiting their communities, too. Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News, 10 Feb. 2024 Garner, like Bradford, envisions a reparations program akin to the GI Bill, the post-World War II program that provided service members returning from war with free and low-cost education and low-interest home loans. Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, 5 Feb. 2024 Thanks to a prescient move by lawmakers while the war was still on, passage of the 1944 GI Bill, many of the returning vets were absorbed by our universities, rather than joining unemployment rolls all at once. Amity Shlaes, National Review, 1 Feb. 2024 Eating flaxseed might even ease menopausal symptoms, which—among its many other nuisances—can often include GI issues. Christina Pérez, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2024 Of course, at this time, no one knew of the upcoming attack on Pearl Harbor, and many an American GI has been written about as dreaming of owning a 1940 Ford after World War II. David Krumboltz, The Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gi.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

galvanized iron; from abbreviation used in listing such articles as garbage cans, but taken as abbreviation for government issue

First Known Use

Adjective

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1943, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1949, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1951, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gi was in 1926

Dictionary Entries Near gi

Cite this Entry

“Gi.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gi. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

GI

1 of 2 adjective
: of, relating to, or characteristic of U.S. military forces

GI

2 of 2 noun
plural GIs or GI's
: a member or former member of the U.S. armed forces
Etymology

Adjective

from the abbreviation for galvanized iron used in listing such articles as garbage cans, but mistaken as standing for government issue

Medical Definition

GI

abbreviation
1
gastrointestinal
2
glycemic index

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