dyke
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology 1
Variant of dike.
[edit] Noun
dyke (plural dykes)
- Alternative spelling of dike.
- (Australian) (slang) A toilet.
- 1977, In Cubbaroo's dim distant past
They built a double dyke.
Back to back in the yard it stood
An architectural dream in wood
— Ian Slack-Smith, The Passing of the Twin Seater, from The Cubbaroo Tales, 1977. Quoted in Aussie Humour, Macmillan, 1988, ISBN 0-7251-0553-4, page 235.
- 1977, In Cubbaroo's dim distant past
- (UK) a ditch.
- (Sussex) a valley.
- Let's walk to Devil's Dyke.
[edit] Translations
[edit] Etymology 2
Unknown; various theories suggested.
Attested US 1942, in Berrey and Van den Bark’s American Thesaurus of Slang.[1]
[edit] Noun
dyke (plural dykes)
- (slang, pejorative) A lesbian, particularly one who appears masculine or acts in a masculine manner. This word has been reclaimed, by some, as politically empowering. (See usage notes.)
[edit] Usage notes
In the sense of a gay woman, this term is generally derogatory when used by heterosexuals (and sometimes when used by non-heterosexuals), but, it is also used by some lesbians and bisexual women to refer to themselves, positively. A similar approach to the possibility of reclamation is evident in the use of the word queer among some lesbians, bisexual women, and others; see reclaimed word and reappropriation for discussion. It is important to note that many people do not believe that “queer” is able to be reclaimed, because of its fraught history and continued pejorative usage. Thus, the terms “dyke” and “queer” are both potentially liberatory while also being highly contested.
[edit] Synonyms
- See also Wikisaurus:female homosexual
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
[edit] References
- ^ "dike, dyke, n.3" The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989. OED Online. Oxford UP. 4 Apr. 2000 <http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50064031>.
[edit] Anagrams
[edit] Scots
[edit] Etymology
Old English dīc
[edit] Pronunciation
- IPA: /dəik/
[edit] Noun
dyke (plural dykes)
