goober

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goo·ber

(go͞o′bər)

n. Chiefly Southern US

1. See peanut.

2. A yokel; a bumpkin.

3. A foolish or silly person.

4. A gob of phlegm.

[Of Bantu origin; akin to Kongo or Kimbundu n-guba.]

Word History: Most Southerners recognize the terms goober and goober pea as other names for the peanut. Goober originates among the Bantu languages and is akin to the word meaning "peanut" in the Kongo and Kimbundu languages, n-guba. This regionalism is one of a small stock of words that entered American English from the languages spoken by the Africans who were enslaved and brought to the Americas during the 1600s and 1700s. Many of these words of African origin have to do with foods. Gumbo, for example, is also of Bantu origin—it is related to such words as Tshiluba ki-ngumbo, "okra." (In some regional varieties of English in the South, gumbo can still mean simply "okra" in addition to "thick okra stew.") Yam originates among the languages of West Africa, and it may be akin to Wolof ñam, meaning "food" and "to eat" or to Bambara ñambu, "manioc." The English word cooter probably comes from the Mande languages—the Bambara and Malinke word for a turtle, for example, is kuta. Cooter is still used in South Carolina, Georgia, and the Gulf states to denote the edible freshwater turtle of the genus Chrysemys and, by extension, other turtles and tortoises.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

goober

(ˈɡuːbə) or

goober pea

(Plants) another name for peanut

[C19: of African (Angolan) origin; related to Kongo nguba]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

goo•ber

(ˈgu bər)

n. South Midland and Southern U.S.

the peanut. Also called goo′ber pea`.

[1825–35; of African orig.]

Goober

Regional name for peanut.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun

goober - pod of the peanut vine containing usually 2 nuts or seeds; `groundnut' and `monkey nut' are British terms

goober pea, monkey nut, groundnut, earthnut, peanut

edible nut - a hard-shelled seed consisting of an edible kernel or meat enclosed in a woody or leathery shell

Arachis hypogaea, peanut vine, peanut - widely cultivated American plant cultivated in tropical and warm regions; showy yellow flowers on stalks that bend over to the soil so that seed pods ripen underground

Translations

goober

n (US inf) (= peanut) → Erdnuss f; (= idiot) → Blödmann m (inf)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

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References in periodicals archive ?

What a goober, he said, we're nowhere near fruit trees!

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They are an exclusive distributor of Lee Kum Kee Chinese Sauces, San Remo Pasta, La Espanola Olive Oil, Tree Top Apple Juice, Smuckers, JIF Peanut Butter, Goober Peanut Butter, TABASCO, Folgers, Tulip, Crisco Oil and Shortening,Regilait, Mom's Haus of Mushroom, Crystal Noodle,Optimo Suchero and Balducci.

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But Roach, a self-described "goober with a flashlight," brings a nearly insane glee to each of her subjects as she transforms well-worn topics into fresh learning experiences.

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A little red girl who lives in a town that is only red asks the question, "Is it safe to play with colors different from you?" The red girl meets Blue Betty, Pink Patty Puff, Brown Bobby Bongo, Green Goober Gruff, Yellow Yasmina and Orange O'Shea.

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You almost feel sorry for these guys, as it's hard to solidify your appeal to religious zealots while at the same time trying not to sound like a hopeless goober. It's a fine line.

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One carried a sign that read "DON'T BE A GOOBER, VOTE 4 UBER." Another's read "GO LYFT." As the seats in the council chamber filled up, they held a rally outside.

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Well, meet their older brother Elmer Monroe Dean, "Elmer the Great," "long recognized as the ace goober salesman of the Texas League" and "almost as celebrated in his line as his younger brothers are as pitchers." (1)