gauze
gauze
Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
The word "gauze" is a single syllable.
IPA (American English): /ɡɔːz/ or /ɡɑːz/
IPA (British English): /ɡɔːz/
Syllable Sound Breakdown
/ɡ/: The voiced velar plosive, as in the 'g' in goat.
/ɔː/ or /ɑː/: The vowel sound.
/ɔː/ is the open-mid back rounded vowel, as in the 'aw' in law.
/ɑː/ is the open back unrounded vowel, as in the 'a' in father.
/z/: The voiced alveolar sibilant, as in the 'z' in zoo.
Word Form Variations
Noun (Singular): gauze
Noun (Plural): gauzes
Verb (Infinitive): gauze
Verb (Present): gauzes (he/she/it gauzes)
Verb (Present Participle): gauzing
Verb (Past Tense): gauzed
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
A very thin, light, loosely woven fabric, typically made of cotton or silk, used for medical dressings, surgical sponges, or filtering.
Synonyms: bandage, dressing, lint, mesh, netting
Antonyms: (no direct antonyms, but contextually) solid, thick fabric
A fine, open-weave material made of wire, used for screens or as a filter (e.g., wire gauze in a laboratory).
Synonyms: mesh, screen, netting, filter
Antonyms: plate, solid sheet
A thin, semi-transparent mist, haze, or film that partially obscures a view.
Synonyms: haze, mist, fog, veil, film
Antonyms: clarity, clearness
Verb
To cover, dress, or bandage with gauze.
Synonyms: bandage, dress, wrap, cover, bind, swathe
Antonyms: unwrap, uncover, expose, remove dressing
(Literary) To cover with or as if with a thin mist; to make hazy or indistinct.
Synonyms: mist, fog, cloud, blur, obscure, veil
Antonyms: clear, clarify, illuminate, expose
Examples of Use
In Books
Medical/Literal: "He... gently cleaned the wound with an antiseptic wipe. Then he took a thick pad of sterile gauze from a first-aid box and laid it over the cut." (From Killing Floor by Lee Child)
Metaphorical: "A light rain was falling, a gauze of moisture that obscured the view of the distant hills." (Fictitious example)
In Newspapers & Online Publications
Medical News: "Hospitals reported a critical need for basic medical supplies, including sterile gauze wraps and adhesive bandages, to treat the influx of patients." (The New York Times, October 2024)
Fashion: "This season is all about breathable fabrics. Think lightweight linen shirts and flowing gauze dresses that are perfect for staying cool." (Vogue, June 2024)
Science/Lab: "Place the beaker on the wire gauze over the tripod stand before lighting the Bunsen burner to ensure even heat distribution." (From a common chemistry lab manual)
In Entertainment
Television (Medical Drama): In a scene from a show like Grey's Anatomy, a surgeon might command, "Pressure! I need more 4x4 gauze and two units of O-neg, stat!"
Film (War Drama): A medic in a film like Saving Private Ryan might be seen stuffing a gauze pad into a soldier's wound, saying, "Hold this here. Keep pressure on it!"
In General Public Discourse
Parenting Forum: "My toddler scraped his knee pretty badly. I cleaned it, but should I cover it with a big adhesive bandage or just a gauze pad and tape?" (Fictitious post on a parenting forum)
Social Media: "Tip for new hikers: Always pack sterile gauze rolls in your first-aid kit. They're much more versatile than just small bandages for bad scrapes or sprains." (Fictitious post on Reddit)
10 Famous Quotes Using Gauze
Whatever landscape a child is exposed to early on, that will be the sort of gauze through which he or she will see all the world afterwards. (Wallace Stegner, Crossing to Safety)
Veil after veil of thin dusky gauze is lifted, and by degrees the forms and colours of things are restored to them, and we watch the dawn remaking the world in its antique pattern. (Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray)
Let's pretend the glass has got all soft like gauze, so that we can get through. (Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass)
Bubbles gargled delicately, bluebottles / Wove a strong gauze of sound around the smell. (Seamus Heaney, "Death of a Naturalist")
His Feet are shod with Gauze— / His Helmet, is of Gold, (Emily Dickinson, "His Feet are shod with Gauze")
The windows let in a perfect light, a vibrant light such as you get in the north, where a kind of grey gauze turns the sun to silver. (Georges Rodenbach, The Bells of Bruges)
She wore a dress of gauze and her dark hair was carried up in combs of ivory, combs of shell. (Cormac McCarthy, The Road)
...in dazzling profusion, Colleton ripened in a gauze of sweet gardens and the town ached beneath a canopy of promissory fragrance. (Pat Conroy, The Boo)
But what Cleófilas has been waiting for... has been anticipating since she was old enough to lean against the window displays of gauze and butterflies and lace, is passion. (Sandra Cisneros, "Woman Hollering Creek")
But perhaps there is something else as well, something nebulous, gauze-like, through which everything one sees in a dream seems, paradoxically, much clearer. (W. G. Sebald, The Rings of Saturn)
Etymology
The word gauze has a fascinating and slightly mysterious history.
It first appeared in English in the mid-1500s (around 1561). We borrowed it directly from the French word gaze. When it first appeared, it meant exactly what it still means today: a very thin, transparent, loosely woven fabric. Originally, this fabric was often made of silk and used for clothing or veils.
Where the French got the word gaze is where the mystery lies. There are two popular theories:
The Gaza Theory: Many believe the word is named after the city of Gaza in Palestine. Historically, Gaza was a famous trading post and was known for producing fine, silky textiles that were exported to Europe. The idea is that the fabric became known by the name of the place it came from.
The Silk Theory: Other experts believe the word comes from the Arabic word qazz (or the Persian kaz), which simply means "raw silk." Since the original gauze fabrics were made of silk, it's very possible the French adopted the word for the material itself.
In short, "gauze" is a French word we adopted in the 1500s for a thin, see-through fabric. That French word itself likely comes from either the city of Gaza, a famous weaving center, or from the Arabic word for the raw silk used to make it.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Gauze
A gauze of mist (A thin, light fog)
Gauze over it (To lightly cover up or obscure a problem)
Through a gauze of memory (To remember something indistinctly or vaguely)
Gauzy logic (An idea or argument that is thin and lacks substance)
A wire gauze (A piece of lab equipment)
Sterile gauze pads (A common medical supply)
To draw a veil over (To deliberately hide or stop talking about an unpleasant fact)
A veil of secrecy (A state of intentional concealment)
In a fog / In a haze (To be confused, dazed, or unthinking)
The mists of time (The distant and poorly remembered past)
A Band-Aid solution (A temporary, superficial fix for a much larger problem)
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of gauze from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
