Guide - what is it? When pronouncing this word, we usually understand that we are talking about a person who conducts excursions. But it turns out that everything is not so simple. This short word has a large number of meanings that many are not even aware of. So let's broaden our horizons and, with patience, conduct an "investigation" to find out the details of what this guide is?
What does the dictionary say?
To immerse yourself in all the nuances of the meanings of the word "guide", it is advisable to turn to their dictionary interpretation. There are many options given here, among which are the following:
A guide who introduces tourists to the sights of a particular area. Example: “It was stated in the contract for the provision of tourist services that if the customer has any claims, they must be drawn up in writing and certified by the signature of the guide.”
A special book, guidebook, guide or service that points to all local places of interest - exhibitions, museums, restaurants Example: "If you want to find a really good restaurant in Paris with lots of choices and decent service, check out the Red Guide Michelin.”
At bibliographers and astronomers
In addition to the above, the word we are studying has other meanings. Consider them.
In some cases, this is the name of bibliographic indexes - lists of published documents, such as books, articles in newspapers and magazines. As a rule, they are united by a certain feature, equipped with auxiliary indexes that facilitate the search for materials and their grouping. Example: “According to their purpose, bibliographic guides are divided into recommendatory, addressed to a wide range of readers and not claiming to be complete, and scientific, intended purely for specialists and aimed at providing an exhaustive list of data.”
In astronomy, a guide is a telescope, which is an auxiliary optical tube, which is fixed on the same installation and connected to another, larger telescope. It is designed for continuous tracking of an object and for precise pointing, called guiding. Example: “When performing manual guiding, the observer must keep the reference star chosen by him at the guide’s crosshairs, while compensating for its departure by turning the telescope using its main or auxiliary engines.”
The military andrailway workers
In the process of our "investigation", having studied a few more dictionaries, we also find the following meanings of the "guide":
- A soldier who is part of the guides (in French, Guides means “scouts.” These are special cavalry units of the Belgian army in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Example: “Until 1915, the guides had a special uniform, and then they became distinguish only crimson buttonholes.”
- GID - an abbreviation that indicates the schedule of already completed train traffic. It is one of the main tools for the dispatching regulation of railway traffic. Example: “Train dispatchers are responsible for maintaining a guide either on a special form or automatically using a special program.”
Origin and synonyms
Continuing the study of the question of what it is - a guide, consider the words that are close in meaning to this term and its origin. They can be divided into two groups:
Synonyms for "guide", used in the meaning of reference literature, will be: guidebook, manual, guide, bedeker, instruction, service, reference book.
According to etymologists, the object we are studying originates from the Gothic language, which belongs to the Germanic languages, or rather, to their eastern group. He is mainly known from writtenmonuments of the 4th-6th centuries. The most important of these is the Bible translation attributed to Wulfila, a Visigothic bishop. He is supposed to have created the Gothic alphabet.
In the Gothic language there is a verb witan, meaning "to observe, notice". In Italian, the verb guidare was formed from it - "to lead", from which came the Italian noun guida meaning "guide, guide". It was borrowed into French, where it took on the form guide in the same meaning. In Russian, the word "guide" came from French in the 19th century. According to researchers, nouns such as “leader” and “leader” are close to it.
In conclusion of the study of the question that this is a guide, let's consider some signs of the profession denoted by this word.
Guide vs tour guide - what's the difference?
Often these two words are used as complete synonyms. But there are still differences between them. As a rule, a guide is understood as someone who is a specialist in conducting museum excursions. But the guide is the person who works in a travel company in accordance with the contract concluded with it. He conducts not one, but several excursions - to monuments, museums, and other attractions. And he also accompanies a group of tourists, devoting considerable time to it, throughout the entire tour.
