Gad

Gad, in the Bible, son of Jacob and Zilpah and eponymous founder of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Its allotment was half of Gilead; this was the land best suited to the pastoral life, which Gad, like Reuben, continued after the years in Egypt. The "people of Gad" are mentioned on the Moabite stone.

Any member of the dipteran genus Tabanus or, more generally, of the family Tabanidae. These stout flies range from as small as a housefly to as large as a bumblebee. Sometimes called greenheaded monsters, horseflies have metallic or iridescent eyes. Adults are fast, strong fliers usually found around streams, marshes, and wooded areas. They may carry animal diseases, including anthrax, tularemia, and trypanosomiasis. The bites of the bloodsucking females can be painful, and a swarm may suck more than 3 oz (about 90 ml) of blood a day from an animal. Males feed on nectar, honeydew, and plant sap. Horseflies of the genus Chrysops, usually called deerflies, are smaller and have dark markings on the wings.

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Gad can refer to:

• Gad (deity), the pan-Semitic deity of fortune worshipped during the Babylonian captivity
• An abbreviation for the chemical element Gadolinium, or its oxide Gadolinia
• The word "Gad" replaces "God" in many of The Far Side comic strips by Gary Larson
• The Marathi word for fort, occurring in the names of many forts in Maharashtra
• Gad Guard, a Japanese animated series

Places:

• Gad, West Virginia, a former town flooded in the construction of Summersville Lake
• Northeast Alabama Regional Airport in Gadsden, Alabama (IATA airport code)

In the Bible:

• Tribe of Gad, a tribe of the ancient Kingdom of Israel
• Gad (Biblical figure), the founder of the tribe of Gad and seventh son of Jacob
• Gad (Bible prophet), King David's seer or prophet

The acronym GAD may refer to:

• Gatsbys American Dream, an indie rock band from Seattle, Washington
• Gender and Development, a theoretical perspective on the role of women in development that emerged in the 1980s
• Generalized anxiety disorder, an anxiety disorder characterized by uncontrollable worry about everyday things
• Glycoazodyes, a "naturalised" textile dye
• Glutamic acid decarboxylase, an enzyme necessary for the synthesis of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid
• Government Actuary's Department, a department of the British Government responsible for providing actuarial advice
• Grey Area Diagnosis, an activity to identify the cause(s) of an incident, in order to focus investigative activities as efficiently as possible
• Group Account Director, a job title in creative agencies