gross
UK[ɡrəʊs]US[ɡroʊs]
adj
Very obvious and unacceptable; repulsive.
adj
Total, without anything being taken away.
adj
Extremely large or serious.
v
To earn a particular amount of money before taxes or costs are taken out.
Etymology
The word 'gross' entered English in the 14th century from Old French 'gros', meaning 'big, thick, coarse'. The Old French term derived from Late Latin 'grossus', signifying 'thick, coarse'. This Latin root is likely of Germanic origin, perhaps related to words for 'mass' or 'bulk'. The semantic journey is one of physicality to abstraction: from the literal meaning of 'large in size or coarse in texture', it evolved to describe things that are large in quantity ('gross weight'), then to what is unrefined or blatantly obvious ('gross negligence'), and finally to the modern sense of being repellent or disgusting. The financial sense of 'total before deductions' also stems from the idea of a large, undiminished whole.
Analysis
The word 'gross' is a simplex loanword from French, ultimately of Germanic origin. It cannot be meaningfully segmented into smaller morphemes within its current English spelling.
Examples
The company was fined for gross violations of safety regulations.
The gross profit was high, but net earnings were much lower after expenses.
His manners were so gross that he offended everyone at the table.