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Mysteries of vernacular:

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Gorgeous,

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beautiful or very attractive.

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The source of the word gorgeous

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can be found in the Latin word, gurges,

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used by the Romans to describe

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a whirling, swirling whirlpool.

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Thanks to the aquatic phenomenon's cylindrical shape

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and gurgling form,

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gurges also came to mean throat.

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By the time gurges reached England in the 14th century,

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it had been altered to gorge.

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This, to the English, seemed like an appropriate way

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to describe a steep and rocky ravine,

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a metaphorical extension of the words

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referenced to the throat.

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The French, however, transformed gorge into gorgias

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and used it to describe

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one of the most fashionable trends

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of the Middle Ages,

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also known as a wimple.

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This popular article of clothing

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revealed only the madame's visage,

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covering her shoulders,

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head,

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and, of course, her throat .

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A stylish and intricate gorgias

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was so telling of class and affluence

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that the word soon came to mean

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fond of dress and elegant.

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This newly fashioned adjective

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voyaged into Middle English as gorgayse,

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where it was fully anglicized as gorgeous.

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Since then, it has been linked to all things

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of exceptionally graceful allure.