# What does the G in G-string stand for? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [November 7, 2003, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870 "2003-11-07T12:42:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Recess\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bc79bd/32.png) [@Recess\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Recess_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870/21 "2003-11-11T18:38:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by biscuit314 \* > \*\*On a 12-string guitar, the high G string is the thinnest of the lot. Is this the inspiration for the name of the female apparel in question, given its prime feature is its thinness? \*\* On a 6-string guitar, the G string is one of the _middle_ strings (along with the D string). It would seem more likely than a high/low violin string, since a G-string goes, er, right up the middle? That’s the explanation I had always read. However, without proof, it could have been a theory pulled out of one’s, oh never mind. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870/22 "2003-11-11T18:52:24Z")
I’ve always thought it was called a G-string because, since the G-string is the lowest string on a violin, there’s nothing below it! ---
**Author:** ![BIH\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/49beb7/32.png) [@BIH\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BIH_Boy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870/23 "2003-11-12T02:36:54Z")
Could the G stand for “gusset”? Makes me laugh anyway… ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870/24 "2003-11-12T12:11:06Z")
Until the early twentieth century, the G string on a violin was the only one still made of pure gut - nowadays, all four strings have a wire wrapping. So I guess for a while, the G string was the only one anybody would consider wearing. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870/25 "2003-11-12T21:07:07Z")
I love when people chime in here with all sorts of offered explanations that don’t take into account data contained in the original story. All attempts to link “geestring” with a “G” string are suspect because the use of the letter in place of the spelling comes later than the initial use of the word. The attempt to link the term for the string around the waist holding up a loin cloth with terms for the area covered by the “cloth” are suspect because the “string” isn’t the part covering the genitalia. One can have a “geestring” without having a loincloth attached, presumably. Presumably the use of the term particularly to describe something worn by Amerinds in the mid to late 1800’s would indicate that the term originated based upon some terminology picked up from the Amerinds to decribe the object. That would be my choice for a start at the etymology. Perhaps someone with knowledge of the language of the various plains Amerinds could elucidate on such thoughts (the idea that the word is “geestringi” and just happens to describe a “string” is much too conincidental for me to credit in the absence of stonger proof). ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870/26 "2003-11-14T00:06:14Z")
Mid- to late- 1800s is late enough for any Amerind to have picked up on terminology used by eg. passing tradesmen…even if they used a g-string-type word, doesn’t prove it doesn’t come from a european source. ---
**Author:** ![agriope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@agriope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/agriope)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870/27 "2003-11-14T02:43:05Z")
Here’s the obvious: It’s not a G-string, but a g-string. Look at the letter g in a font like Times Roman. Two loops, joined in the middle. Now, throw a g-string on the floor. Two loops, joined in the middle. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870/28 "2003-11-14T03:30:21Z")
> [@](#): > > All attempts to link “geestring” with a “G” string are suspect because the use of the letter in place of the spelling comes later than the initial use of the word. > The attempt to link the term for the string around the waist holding up a loin cloth with terms for the area covered by the “cloth” are suspect because the “string” isn’t the part covering the genitalia. One can have a “geestring” without having a loincloth attached, presumably. Let’s up the ante on this. Just yesterday, a brilliant researcher over at the American Dialect Society Mailing List, John Baker, found the second oldest reference to the term. I’ll quote it here for your consideration. It is from 1882. > [@](#): > > The blanket of the male Indian covers a multitude of sins of ommission as to toilet. Their dress consists mainly of three articles–moccasins, a G-string, and the before-mentioned blanket. The G-string is a strip of flannel fastened before and behind to a string or belt around their waists, the ends of the strip hanging almost to their feet before and often trailing the ground behind. The difference of four years in between the quotes would seem to be insignificant. So whether the term is “G” or “gee” is in limbo. Also, the important thing about this last find is that the hanging cloth is considered to be the “g” string, not the belt that holds it. How does this change things? Which explanation is correct? I’ll post updates as they are discovered. ---
**Author:** ![biscuit314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@biscuit314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biscuit314)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870/29 "2003-11-14T13:49:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by agriope \* > \*\*Here’s the obvious: It’s not a G-string, but a g-string. Look at the letter g in a font like Times Roman. Two loops, joined in the middle. > > Now, throw a g-string on the floor. Two loops, joined in the middle. \*\* If I’ve just thrown a g-string on the floor, I believe my attention would be focussed on other matters… ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870/30 "2003-11-17T04:24:14Z")
**samclem** , do you have a citation to that reference? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870/31 "2003-11-17T05:41:45Z")
Sure. From the “Making of America” electronic database, a service of the Smithsonian, [http://www.hti.umich.edu/m/moagrp/](http://www.hti.umich.edu/m/moagrp/) it’s cited from "Mary E. Meline, ‘Into the silent Land,’ Catholic World, vol. 35, no. 210 (Sept., 1882), pp. 775-85, at p. 781. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2003, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870/32 "2003-11-17T22:31:55Z")
Darn. All this time I’ve been thinking that JS Bach wrote ‘Air on a G string’ as an ode to the flatulent ecdysiast with whom he was enamored. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Mike\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_B)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870/33 "2003-11-18T00:29:28Z")
If you check the [Google Glossary](http://labs.google.com/glossary?q=g-string), it says, “A variation of the thong, this undergarment or swimwear bottom has a similar waistband but uses a string instead of a larger panel of fabric in the back. From the word garter, the G-string has become a foundation option when a smooth line is preferred under pants, skirts and dresses.” This quote is from [polo.com](http://polo.com) Hrmm… ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870/34 "2003-11-18T02:06:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mike B \* > \*\*If you check the [Google Glossary](http://labs.google.com/glossary?q=g-string), it says, “A variation of the thong, this undergarment or swimwear bottom has a similar waistband but uses a string instead of a larger panel of fabric in the back. From the word garter, the G-string has become a foundation option when a smooth line is preferred under pants, skirts and dresses.” > > This quote is from [polo.com](http://polo.com) > > Hrmm… \*\* One doubts that the Polo Company employs an archivist/historian to write their patter. They’re of course referring to the “g-string” which we in the modern era understand to be what a stripper wears. Whether the “g” in a strippers atire refers to “girdle” is open to debate. ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870/35 "2003-11-18T04:03:54Z")
It _could_ be, of course, since the real meaning of “girdle” is (more or less) “belt”. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2003, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870/36 "2003-11-18T21:13:20Z")
Interesting site, **samclem**. Thanks! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870/37 "2003-11-19T05:57:46Z")
Update as promised. John Baker, who found the 1882 cite which I posted, thinks that the “G-string” referred to in his find is talking about the whole shebang, not the dangling strip nor the belt. I still personally think that it’s open to debate, unless an earlier cite comes along. ---
**Author:** ![rezwar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/90ced4/32.png) [@rezwar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rezwar)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2003, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870/38 "2003-11-21T00:13:25Z")
‘gee’ is an cherokee word for loincloth, sort of like leggings. but meaning the underpart that goes between the legs, the part that holds the ‘goods’, for male or female wearers. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2003, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870/39 "2003-11-24T15:25:30Z")
> [@](#): > > ‘gee’ is an cherokee word for loincloth, sort of like leggings. but meaning the underpart that goes between the legs, the part that holds the ‘goods’, for male or female wearers. **rezwar** , do you speak Cherokee? Or are you repeating something heard from someone? I’ve seen you posting recently with regard to a number of the discussions regarding etymology of words or terms. The difficulty with many such discussions is that, in the absence of either an extant written use of the term, or a contemporary user of the term, determining the actual etymology becomes impossible, and is reserved as an exercise in speculation, not a discussion of fact. The concept of the term “G-string” or “geestring” originating from some Amerind word is certainly plausible: the item described was worn by Native Americans, who presumably had words in each of their language families to describe the item, and it was common for the colonists to pick up such words and use bastardized versions of them. But since we don’t have any printed version of the term in English before 1878, and we certainly don’t have a native speaker of the various Amerind languages which could have been the source still alive, it is hard to pin down the actual fact of the matter. An equally probable explanation to the concept that “gee” is a Cherokee word meaning the extended type of loin cloth in question, giving rise to the use of the term by the white settlers, is that “gee” came to be used by the Cherokee who adopted the term from the white settlers with whom they had concourse and discourse at the time. I only bring this up because your statement in your post, as has been true of some other posts I have seen from you, presents your contribution to the discussion as if it were “fact.” This sort of posting tends to bring out the worst in our members, who immediately engage in “piling on the newbie” by questioning the assertion and asking for citation to reliable authority. Eventually, you learn to either present the contribution as an opinion, a suggestion, or an interesting bit of trivia, or you attach some sort of verifiable evidence to back up your claim. Unless you _like_ being at the bottom. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2003, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870/40 "2003-11-24T15:52:54Z")
A specifically Cherokee origin is, perhaps, testable. The language has existed in written form for nearly 200 years. The sound “gee” is possible, at any rate; the syllable [http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Stadium/7075/cherokee/cpicsStripped/tsi.gif](http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Stadium/7075/cherokee/cpicsStripped/tsi.gif) , usually transcribed “tsi”, is pronounced “gee” in Western Cherokee. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-g-in-g-string-stand-for/211870.md?page=3)