git
git Lexical Profile
git Game Scores & Validity
• noun
British An unpleasant, foolish, or contemptible person (often used playfully or as a mild insult, especially toward a man).
"He can be a stubborn old git at times, but he means well."
• verb
American To go away or leave immediately (nonstandard or dialectal variant of 'get', usually used in the imperative).
"The rancher waved his hat at the stray dog and shouted for it to git."
Word Nuance & Usage
In British English, 'git' is a mild derogatory noun for an annoying or foolish person, whereas in American English it is primarily a regional or dialectal pronunciation of the verb 'get', frequently used as an imperative meaning 'go away'. When capitalized as 'Git', it refers to the widely used software version control system.
• Rhymes for git
Word Origin & Etymology
The British noun is an alteration of 'get' in its older, dialectal sense of 'offspring' or 'illegitimate child', documented in Scottish and northern English since the 14th century. The software tool 'Git' was humorously named by creator Linus Torvalds in 2005 after the British slang term.