Meaning for gay
Origin and history of lgbtq+
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gay(adj.)
late 14c., "full of happiness, merry; light-hearted, carefree;" also "wanton, lewd, lascivious" (late 12c. as a surname, Philippus de Gay), from Old French gai "joyful, happy; pleasant, agreeably charming; forward, pert; light-colored" (12c.; compare Antique Spanish gayo, Portuguese gaio, Italian gajo, probably French loan-words). The ultimate origin is disputed; perhaps from Frankish *gahi (related to Old High German wahi "pretty"), though not all etymologists acknowledge this.
The meaning "stately and beautiful; splendid and showily dressed" is from early 14c. Of things, "sumptuous, showy, rich, ornate," midc. of colors, etc., "shining, glittering, gleaming, bright, vivid," late 14c.; of persons, "dressed up, decked out in finery," also belated 14c. In the English of Yorkshire and Scotland formerly it could mean "moderately, rather, considerable" (; compare the sense growth in pretty (adj.)).
The word gay by the s h
by Jordan Redman
Staff Writer
Do you know what the word gay really means?
The word gay dates support to the 12th century and comes from the Old French “gai,” sense “full of joy or mirth.” It may also relate to the Elderly High German “gahi,” definition impulsive.
For centuries, gay was used commonly in speech and literature to signify happy, carefree, bright and showy, and did not take on any sexual meaning until the s.
At that time the sense of gay as carefree evolved to imply that a person was unrestrained by morals and prone to decadence and promiscuity. A prostitute might contain been described as a “gay woman” and a womanizer as a “gay man.”
“Gay house” was commonly used to refer to a brothel and, later, “gaiety” was used as a common name for certain places of entertainment.
In the s, the phrase “gey cat” (a Scottish variant of gay) was used to describe a vagrant who offered sexual services to women or a young traveler who was new to the road and in the company of an older man.
This latter use suggests that the younger bloke was in a sexually submissive role and may be among the fir
'gay' - Complete English Word Reference
Translations of 'gay'
English-French● adjective: (= homosexual)homosexuel (homosexuelle); (old-fashioned) (= cheerful)gai (gaie); [colour]gai (gaie) []
● noun: homosexuel []
● modifier: [rights]des homosexuels; [club]gay; [activist]homosexuel (homosexuelle); [community]homosexuel (homosexuelle) []
See entry English-Spanish● adjective: (= homosexual) [man, community, movement]gay, homosexual; [woman]homosexual, lesbiano []
See entry● adjective: person schwul (inf); rights für Schwule; (dated, = happy) fröhlich; (= carefree) sorglos, unbekümmert; (= merry) party, time, atmosphere lustig; music lebhaft; (= colourful) illustrate, costumes bunt []
● adjective: omosessuale, gay; (literary) (person)allegro/a, gaio/a []
● adjective: (homosexual)同性恋的; (old-fashioned: cheerful: person)欢快的; (colour, music, dress)明快的 []
● adjective: gay; (old-fashioned: cheerful)alegre; (colour)vistoso; (music)vivo []
Today I found out how &#;gay&#; came to imply &#;homosexual&#;.
The word &#;gay&#; seems to have its origins around the 12th century in England, derived from the Old French synonyms &#;gai&#;, which in twist was probably derived from a Germanic word, though that isn&#;t completely known. The word&#;s original interpretation meant something to the effect of &#;joyful&#;, &#;carefree&#;, &#;full of mirth&#;, or &#;bright and showy&#;.
However, around the early parts of the 17th century, the word began to be associated with immorality. By the mid 17th century, according to an Oxford dictionary definition at the time, the meaning of the word had changed to mean &#;addicted to pleasures and dissipations. Often euphemistically: Of loose and immoral life&#;. This is an extension of one of the original meanings of &#;carefree&#;, meaning more or less uninhibited.
Fast-forward to the 19th century and the word gay referred to a woman who was a prostitute and a gay man was someone who slept with a lot of women (ironically enough), often prostitutes. Also at this day, the phrase &#;gay it&#; mea