Meaning of the word gay

It&#;s Pride Month and one of the most colourful words in the English language &#; with more makeovers than Madonna and more dramatic life stories than Liza Minnelli &#; is the word &#;gay&#;!

Like every hero, &#;gay&#; has an origin story, but even today, scholars are in disagreement over the precise journey it took to reach the level of fame (or infamy) it commands nowadays. So, let&#;s piece together the history of this flamboyant one-syllable and learn about the incredible historic events that shaped it into one of the most celebrated yet misunderstood three-letter words in the English language.

&#;Gay&#; was Germanic before it decided to travel all French and fancy

The prevailing theory is that &#;gay&#; came from Elderly Germanic, originally sounding verb &#;gahi&#;, which meant &#;fast&#; or &#;quick.&#; &#;Gahi&#; eventually became &#;jäh&#; in current German, meaning &#;abrupt&#;, &#;sudden&#;, &#;steep&#; or &#;sheer&#;. Beautiful fitting for a pos with so many sudden changes in meaning over the centuries.

From there, it somehow ended up being borrowed by the French, who tur

It is of the least possible concern to me what homosexuals do with one another in the privacy of their homes. They can play dwelling, plot political strategies or couple anonymously--I really don't care. I'm not offended and I wouldn't strive to stop them if I could. But I want the word "gay" back. "Gay" used to be an extremely useful word. It showed up frequently in poetry and prose--Shakespeare used it 12 times--in part because it has no precise synonym. The general sense of the word is a combination of joyous, mirthful, bright, exuberant, cheerful, sportive, merry, light-hearted, lively, showy and pleasant.

The Oxford English Dictionary requires an entire page to explain the etymology and nuances of "gay" as it has appeared in literature throughout history. The citations illustrate that during the s it began to acquire a few darker meanings and that some used it to mean "prostitute" or to describe someone addicted to social pleasure and dissipation, but on balance the word kept fine company.

Milton wrote of "the gay motes that people the sunbeams." Wordsworth in his "Ode to Duty" claimed

gayadjective, adverb, & noun

There are 31 meanings listed in OED's entry for the word gay, nine of which are labelled obsolete, and one of which is considered offensive. Verb ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

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Earliest known use

Middle English

The earliest known employ of the word gay is in the Middle English period (—).

OED's earliest evidence for gay is from around , in Ancrene Riwle.

gay is a borrowing from French.

Etymons:Frenchgai.

Nearby entries

  1. gawlin, n–
  2. gawn, n–
  3. gawne, v
  4. gawney, n–
  5. gawp, n–
  6. gawp, v–
  7. gawper, n–
  8. gawpus, n–
  9. gawpy, n–
  10. gawsy, adj–
  11. gay, adj., adv., & n.?c–
  12. gay, v–
  13. gayal, n–
  14. gayatri, n–

    15. Today I found out how &#;gay&#; came to denote &#;homosexual&#;.

    The word &#;gay&#; seems to have its origins around the 12th century in England, derived from the Old French pos &#;gai&#;, which in twist was probably derived from a Germanic word, though that isn&#;t completely known.  The word&#;s original meaning 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 noun, the phrase &#;gay it&#; mea