gigolo
Contents
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
First attested in English in 1922.[1] From French gigolo (“young lover kept by an older woman”), first attested in that sense in 1904 (attested since 1850 in the sense “lover of a gigolette or pimp”, and since 1894 in the sense “elegant young man whose means of livelihood are dubious”),[2][3] a back-formation from gigolette (“promiscuous dancing girl, girl available for hire as a dancing partner”),[4] attested since 1850, from giguer (“to dance”), from gigue (“fiddle; type of dance; jig”). More at jig.
Pronunciation[edit]
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈdʒɪɡ.ə.ˌloʊ/[5][6] or /ˈʒɪg.ˌloʊ/ invalid IPA characters (g), replace g with ɡ[7][1]
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈdʒɪɡ.ə.ˌləʊ/[8][6] or IPA(key): /ˈʒɪɡ.ə.ˌləʊ/[4][9]
- Hyphenation: gig‧o‧lo
Noun[edit]
gigolo (plural gigolos)
- A man who has a sexual relationship with a woman from whom he receives payment.
- A hired escort or dancing partner for a woman.
- 1929, Irving Caesar, "Just a Gigolo" lyrics:
- I'm just a gigolo / And everywhere I go / People know the part I'm playin' / Paid for every dance / Sellin' each romance / Ooh, what they're sayin'
- 1929, Irving Caesar, "Just a Gigolo" lyrics:
Synonyms[edit]
- See also Wikisaurus:prostitute
Translations[edit]
male having sexual relationships for money
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hired escort or dancing partner
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References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 “gigolo” in the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–.
- ^ “gigolo” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
- ^ Dictionnaire étymologique et historique du français (Larousse Références, ISBN 2-03-710228-3), page 339.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 “gigolo” in the Collins English Dictionary, Glasgow: HarperCollins Publishers.
- ^ Macmillan American English Dictionary, online
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, online
- ^ Collins American English Dictionary, online
- ^ Macmillan British English Dictionary, online
- ^ Harrap's Shorter Dictionary, 8th Edition, page 389
