geronimo
geronimo Lexical Profile
geronimo Game Scores & Validity
• interjection
An exclamation used to express exhilarating excitement, daring, or fearlessness, especially when jumping from a great height or leaping into action.
"The children shouted "Geronimo!" as they leaped off the wooden dock into the cool lake."
• noun
A prominent nineteenth-century leader and medicine man of the Bedonkohe band of the Chiricahua Apache who fought against Mexican and United States expansion into tribal lands.
"The museum exhibit featured historical photographs and artifacts documenting the life of Geronimo."
American A barbiturate tablet or similar sedative pill, especially when dissolved in an alcoholic drink (slang).
"The vintage detective novel described a shady nightclub where patrons slipped a geronimo into their drinks."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Named after Geronimo (1829–1909), a prominent Chiricahua Apache leader whose Spanish name corresponds to Jerome. The exclamation originated in 1940 among US Army paratroopers at Fort Benning, who shouted his name after watching a 1939 film about him on the eve of their first mass jump to show they had no fear.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.