Word of the Day

: May 18, 2012

gazette

noun guh-ZET

What It Means

1 : newspaper

2 : an official journal

3 : an announcement in an official gazette

gazette in Context

I asked my brother to pick up the monthly car-buyer's gazette when he went into town.

"On May 2, 2012, Wynn Macau's land concession contract was published in the official gazette of Macau." - From an article in Business Wire, May 7, 2012

Did You Know?

You are probably familiar the word "gazette" from its use in the names of a number of newspapers, but the original Gazettes were a series of bulletins published in England in the 17th and early 18th centuries. These official journals contained notices of government appointments and promotions, as well as items like bankruptcies, property transfers, and engagements. In British English, "gazette" can also refer to the kind of announcement that one might find in such a publication. It can also be used as a verb meaning "to announce or publish in a gazette." The word derives via French from Italian "gazetta." A related word is "gazetteer," which we now use for a dictionary of place names, but which once meant "journalist" or "publicist."