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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

gonnabe en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ˈɡənəbi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˈɡɒn-/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˈɡən-/ (General-American)
  • /ˈɡɔn-/ (General-American)
  • /ˈɡʌn-/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ˈɡʌnəbi/ (General-American)

Etymology

Etymology tree English gonna Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *bʰuHyétider.? Proto-Germanic *beuną Proto-West Germanic *beun Old English bēon Middle English been English be English wannabeinflu. English gonnabe From gonna (“contraction of going to”) + be, modelled after wannabe.

Meanings

  1. (informal) One who is on the path to becoming famous or important.
    • Alkaline Trio, New Found Glory, Coheed and Cambria, the Starting Line: all have struggled to meet high expectations, and maybe some of them were relieved to be playing this summer’s Warped Tour, nestled among the wannabes and gonnabes. 2007 August 6, Kelefa Sanneh, “Punk on parade, with flexible marching orders”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 Nov 2022:
    • It is doubtful you could instruct Babe Ruth into being a home run king or Usain Bolt into world’s fastest human. They just have something. You can throw money at a wannabe but that won’t make him a gonnabe. 2014, Tom Pease, “Touring Entrepreneurship Land and Meriting Citizenship: You Can’t Give What You Don’t Have”, in Small Business Survival 101: Principles for Fail Proofing Your Business, New York, N.Y.: Morgan James Publishing, →ISBN, page 22:
    • 'So you're a wannabe?' / 'Hopefully, a gonnabe.' 2022, Polly Hamilton Hilsabeck, American Blues […], Berkeley, Calif.: She Writes Press, →ISBN:
    • I attribute any success I have to the following educators in my life: New York agent Jim Cypher […] early on taught me that the difference between “wannabes” and “gonnabes” is persistence; […] 2006, Linda Alice Dewey, “Acknowledgements”, in Aaron’s Crossing: An Inspiring True Ghost Story, Charlottesville, Va.: Hampton Roads Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 206:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
gonnabes Number=Plur lexicographic

Relateds

wannabe · up-and-comer

Translations (2)

pl młody wilk (one on the path to becoming famous or important) · fi pyrkyri (one on the path to becoming famous or important)