1. A member of an ancient Germanic tribe.
2. (obs.) A member of the Gothic subculture; in the late 1970's, the media declared Bauhaus and Siouxsie and the Banshees to have a "gothic" sound, after Gothic literature. Gothic literature was, incidentally, named after Gothic architecture, which was named after the Gothic tribe, as an insult, to imply that it was barbaric.
The original goths from the late 70's had a sardonic sense of humour above all else. They often wore dark clothing, as goth was an offshoot of punk. In the early 80's, Second Wave Goth began with bands like the Sisters of Mercy. This is possibly when goth acquired the reputation of being more sullen. At some unknown date, Goth began degenerating. It was rather like cancer, wherein there was part of the subculture still functioning and alive, but more and more of it was becoming sick and dying. Though some bands with a gothic sound still exist, a new name for the genre is sorely in need of creation. Honestly, those few true goths left need to give up the ghost and come up with a new subculture for themselves.
3. A misnomer for a follower of bands such as Marilyn Manson, Tool, Korn, Slipnot, etc. Generally, bands like these were part of the reason why "goths" kept seeming whinier and whinier. Now not only are there bands trying to portray themselves as goth when goth is effectively dead, but now mass marketing has decided to reshape the subculture to cater to a very lucrative demographic: rebellious teenagers of middle- to upper-class families.
2. (obs.) A member of the Gothic subculture; in the late 1970's, the media declared Bauhaus and Siouxsie and the Banshees to have a "gothic" sound, after Gothic literature. Gothic literature was, incidentally, named after Gothic architecture, which was named after the Gothic tribe, as an insult, to imply that it was barbaric.
The original goths from the late 70's had a sardonic sense of humour above all else. They often wore dark clothing, as goth was an offshoot of punk. In the early 80's, Second Wave Goth began with bands like the Sisters of Mercy. This is possibly when goth acquired the reputation of being more sullen. At some unknown date, Goth began degenerating. It was rather like cancer, wherein there was part of the subculture still functioning and alive, but more and more of it was becoming sick and dying. Though some bands with a gothic sound still exist, a new name for the genre is sorely in need of creation. Honestly, those few true goths left need to give up the ghost and come up with a new subculture for themselves.
3. A misnomer for a follower of bands such as Marilyn Manson, Tool, Korn, Slipnot, etc. Generally, bands like these were part of the reason why "goths" kept seeming whinier and whinier. Now not only are there bands trying to portray themselves as goth when goth is effectively dead, but now mass marketing has decided to reshape the subculture to cater to a very lucrative demographic: rebellious teenagers of middle- to upper-class families.
Why is it that there are no more flappers or beats, yet there's a plethora of "hippies," "punks," and "goths"?
The beats and the flappers probably just knew when to give up and move on.
The beats and the flappers probably just knew when to give up and move on.
by Nemuko May 14, 2003
Get the gothmug. A person who isn't afraid of the darker side of life and appreciates light and dark. They're artistic, usually writing music, poems, stories, or drawing, painting, anything of the sort. It doesn't mean they can't be scientific, though. It's also proven in psycology that the "gothic" youths are smarter than average children. They usually wear black, however they can also wear purples, greens, blues, reds, even white. Any colour can truly be goth, what matters is how it's worn. Goths have exotic choice in accessories, wearing top hats, corsets, lace, ruffles, old style crosses, goggles, masks, dreads, wedges, chains, and other hardware. They are normal people that just have a more philosophic, open mind and a wider range of tastes. They stray from just mainstream and usually prefer metal, rock, indie, punk, etc. Bands like Nightwish and Lacuna Coil are good examples. They're passionate and romantic, and very coy. Often thought of as devil worshipping freaks, which is completely untrue. They like pale skin and dramatic makeup. Life is more fun when it's riddled with different struggles than, "Oh no, my car broke down". Goths are NOT bad people, evil, scary, weird, or anything. They're perfectly normal.
"Oh em gee, look at that goth girl"
"She's sooo weird! Little freak ! Who wears a frilly dress to school?"
And the goth walks by, flashing her brightest smile, her eyes hinting mischief as she goes about her day, humming rhythms of her favorite songs.
"She's sooo weird! Little freak ! Who wears a frilly dress to school?"
And the goth walks by, flashing her brightest smile, her eyes hinting mischief as she goes about her day, humming rhythms of her favorite songs.
by TheLovelyFreak December 19, 2010
Get the gothmug. An ancient germanic tribe consisting of the ostrogoths and the visigoths who sacked rome, not to be confused with the industrial subculture often reffered to as goth, a goth is not someone who wears all black and makeup, the only true goths are germans or people with german heritage whos bloodline dates back to the ancient gothic tribes of germania
Person 1:"that person i so goth"
person 2:"hey kid in black are you of east german decent"
kid in black:"no im not"
person 2:"do you consider yourself goth"
kid in black:"yes"
person 1"see i told you"
person 2"i already just proved that he isnt gothic"
person 2:"hey kid in black are you of east german decent"
kid in black:"no im not"
person 2:"do you consider yourself goth"
kid in black:"yes"
person 1"see i told you"
person 2"i already just proved that he isnt gothic"
by skinheadfuckingsteve May 9, 2008
Get the gothmug. by Jpal October 21, 2009
Get the Gothmug. there is nothing wrong with goths like me who just wear a lot of black and are depressed. I hate that a lot of people say that no one has a real reason for being depressed. I think that this is not a nice thing to do because they do not know what is going on in the life of that person, saying that they have no reason to be depressed may be hurting their feelings.
I think that most goths are ok apart from the ones who think they are cool just because they intimidate others. I do not think that walking around wearing black lipstick makes you cool. I have nothing against those who have a strong reason to be depressed as I do, but I do not like people who enjoy hating others.
I would also like to mension that this website is stupid, it is inviting people to insult others. Why can everyone not just accept what other people think. I hate anyone who thinks that they're opinion is always right and that they are better then everyone else.
This is my opinion and I am not going to force anyone to agree with me but I just felt that the way people treat others on this site is wrong and that your should think twice about what you write before you end up hurting someones feelings.
Ps: I am not a teeny, or some soppy kid who wants everyone to love each other, I just know the effect things like this can have on other people.
I think that most goths are ok apart from the ones who think they are cool just because they intimidate others. I do not think that walking around wearing black lipstick makes you cool. I have nothing against those who have a strong reason to be depressed as I do, but I do not like people who enjoy hating others.
I would also like to mension that this website is stupid, it is inviting people to insult others. Why can everyone not just accept what other people think. I hate anyone who thinks that they're opinion is always right and that they are better then everyone else.
This is my opinion and I am not going to force anyone to agree with me but I just felt that the way people treat others on this site is wrong and that your should think twice about what you write before you end up hurting someones feelings.
Ps: I am not a teeny, or some soppy kid who wants everyone to love each other, I just know the effect things like this can have on other people.
"I dress in black but this does not make me a goth"
"You wear black lipstick and a dog collar but this does not make you cool or give you a right to instult others"
"You wear black lipstick and a dog collar but this does not make you cool or give you a right to instult others"
by I owe my life to GoodCharlotte December 14, 2004
Get the gothmug. 1. One of many ancient Teutonic tribes originating in what is now Germany.
2. One of the many tribes of barbarians overrunning the Roman Empire during the 3rd, 4th and 5th centuries A.D.
2. One of the many tribes of barbarians overrunning the Roman Empire during the 3rd, 4th and 5th centuries A.D.
The Ostrogoths settled in what was Roman Italia, while the Visigoths eventually settled down on the Iberian peninsula.
by Belisarius March 2, 2004
Get the Gothmug. "Goth" or "Gothic" refers to many things.
1) (Original meaning) The Goths were a tribe of what we would now call Germans, who, despite the Romans' constant efforts to steal their land, pwned Rome old-school back in the day; this led to the fall of the Roman empire. They were known for having beards, thus the term "barbarian" (as "barbarus" is Latin for beard). They were also known to be "uncivilized;" for example, they did not have walls, and had no significant military technology or battle strategy, yet often crushed the Romans with vicious charging attacks.
2)An angular and high-ceilinged style of architecture (known as "gothic") created during the Middle Ages which was derided as "gothic" in the sense of "barbaric" by pretentious Renaissance types who had bad taste in architecture. Most remaining gothic buildings are churches.
3)Goth is a subculture consisting of people known as "goths."
4)A Goth is a member of the above-mentioned subculture, who often (though not necessarily always) wears Goth clothing and may or may not listen to Goth music. Goths are generally atheists, often intellectual, and for the most part are not interested in mainstream music or mainstream values (such as materialism). Goth clothing is all generally black, but other than this Goth fashion varies. It generally does not include things such as t-shirts, sneakers or shorts, and can include any of the following:
-metal chains
-large black boots
-Victorian-style dresses (usually black)
-corsets
-black eye makeup
-leather
-studded or spiked belts
-various accesories involved in BDSM
-unusual hairstyles
5)Goth is a broad term for types of music, which though having no very specific definition (as practically no one calls their music "Goth music"), are generally rock which resembles metal (in both sound and instrumentation) and sometimes industrial rock (e.g. Nine Inch Nails). It tends to be dark both musically and thematically, particularly in relation to mainstream pop music. The main difference between Goth music and metal is that Goths listen to and play Goth music and metalheads listen to metal and often dislike Goths. Also, Goth music is less likely to have guitar solos and more likely to have female vocalists. Some music is however referred to as Goth metal, e.g. Lacuna Coil and Type O Negative.
Marilyn Manson's music can be referred to as Goth, but then, many people would consider that statement personally insulting. The band Evanescence is also sometimes called Goth, but many Goths also find this claim insulting due to a perceived similarity between and Evanescence and a nu-metal band called Linkin Park, whose music is complete shit.
6)"Goth" can be used as an insult by fools, much in the same way that punk is used by douches as an insult to people who openly call themselves punks.
1) (Original meaning) The Goths were a tribe of what we would now call Germans, who, despite the Romans' constant efforts to steal their land, pwned Rome old-school back in the day; this led to the fall of the Roman empire. They were known for having beards, thus the term "barbarian" (as "barbarus" is Latin for beard). They were also known to be "uncivilized;" for example, they did not have walls, and had no significant military technology or battle strategy, yet often crushed the Romans with vicious charging attacks.
2)An angular and high-ceilinged style of architecture (known as "gothic") created during the Middle Ages which was derided as "gothic" in the sense of "barbaric" by pretentious Renaissance types who had bad taste in architecture. Most remaining gothic buildings are churches.
3)Goth is a subculture consisting of people known as "goths."
4)A Goth is a member of the above-mentioned subculture, who often (though not necessarily always) wears Goth clothing and may or may not listen to Goth music. Goths are generally atheists, often intellectual, and for the most part are not interested in mainstream music or mainstream values (such as materialism). Goth clothing is all generally black, but other than this Goth fashion varies. It generally does not include things such as t-shirts, sneakers or shorts, and can include any of the following:
-metal chains
-large black boots
-Victorian-style dresses (usually black)
-corsets
-black eye makeup
-leather
-studded or spiked belts
-various accesories involved in BDSM
-unusual hairstyles
5)Goth is a broad term for types of music, which though having no very specific definition (as practically no one calls their music "Goth music"), are generally rock which resembles metal (in both sound and instrumentation) and sometimes industrial rock (e.g. Nine Inch Nails). It tends to be dark both musically and thematically, particularly in relation to mainstream pop music. The main difference between Goth music and metal is that Goths listen to and play Goth music and metalheads listen to metal and often dislike Goths. Also, Goth music is less likely to have guitar solos and more likely to have female vocalists. Some music is however referred to as Goth metal, e.g. Lacuna Coil and Type O Negative.
Marilyn Manson's music can be referred to as Goth, but then, many people would consider that statement personally insulting. The band Evanescence is also sometimes called Goth, but many Goths also find this claim insulting due to a perceived similarity between and Evanescence and a nu-metal band called Linkin Park, whose music is complete shit.
6)"Goth" can be used as an insult by fools, much in the same way that punk is used by douches as an insult to people who openly call themselves punks.
"Why would anyone love a punked-out Goth freak?" -Britney Spears, referring to Amy Lee of Evanescence
"That building is so flagrantly Gothic! Well, I never! Architecture has just gone downhill since the Romans, don't you agree, Jeeves?"
"That building is so flagrantly Gothic! Well, I never! Architecture has just gone downhill since the Romans, don't you agree, Jeeves?"
by jazzriff October 10, 2005
Get the Gothmug.