gypsy

See also: Gypsy

English

Alternative forms

• gipsy, gipsey, gypsey, gypsie (archaic)
• gyptian

Etymology

See Gypsy. The generic usage that refers to any itinerant person.

Compare bohemian, from Bohemia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɪp.si/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪpsi

Noun

gypsy (plural gypsies)

1. (sometimes offensive) Alternative form of Gypsy: a member of the Romani people.
2. (colloquial) An itinerant person or any person, not necessarily Romani; a tinker, a traveller or a carny.
   • c. 1606–1607, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene vii]:

     Like a right gypsy, hath, at fast and loose, Beguiled me to the very heart of loss.

3. (sometimes offensive) A move in contra dancing in which two dancers walk in a circle around each other while maintaining eye contact (but not touching as in a swing). (Compare whole gyp, half gyp, and gypsy meltdown, in which this step precedes a swing.)
4. (theater) A member of a Broadway musical chorus line.
5. (dated) A person with a dark complexion.
6. (dated) A sly, roguish woman.
7. (dated, colloquial) A fortune teller.

Usage notes

See notes at Gypsy.

Synonyms

• (contra dancing): gyre, gyp, gip

Derived terms

• dance gypsy
• gypsify
• gypsiologist
• gypsiology
• gypsycraft
• gypsy cream
• gypsy hat
• gypsyish
• gypsyism
• gypsy jazz
• gypsylike
• gypsy rose
• gypsy setting
• gypsy's kiss
• gypsy swing
• gypsy table
• gypsy tart
• gypsy truck
• gypsy wagon
• gypsy winch
• gypsywort

 

Translations

member of the Rom people — see Gypsy

member of the Rom people — see Rom

any itinerant person, or any person suspected of making a living from dishonest practices or theft

• Afrikaans: sigeuner
• Albanian: arixhi (sq) m, arixheshkë (sq) f
• Arabic: غَجَرِيّ m (ḡajariyy), غَجَرِيَّة f (ḡajariyya)

  Hijazi Arabic: غَجَري m (ḡajari)

• Armenian: գնչու (hy) (gnčʻu)
• Basque: ijito
• Belarusian: цыга́н m (cyhán), цыга́нка f (cyhánka)
• Bulgarian: ци́ганин (bg) m (cíganin), ци́ганка f (cíganka)
• Catalan: gitano (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 吉普賽人／吉普赛人 (zh) (Jípǔsài rén)

• Czech: cikán (cs) m
• Danish: sigøjner c
• Dutch: zigeuner (nl) m, zigeunerin (nl) f
• Esperanto: cigano, ciganino
• Estonian: mustlane
• Finnish: mustalainen (fi)
• French: gitan (fr) m, tsigane (fr) m or f, romanichel (fr)
• Gagauz: ţigan
• Galician: xitano (gl) m
• Georgian: ბოშა m (boša), ბოშა-ქალი f (boša-kali)
• German: Zigeuner (de) m, Zigeunerin (de) f
• Greek: τσιγγάνος (el) m (tsingános), αθίγγανος (el) m (athínganos)
• Hebrew: צועני
• Hindi: यायावार (yāyāvār), जिप्सी (hi) (jipsī)
• Hungarian: cigány (hu)
• Icelandic: sígauni (is) m
• Irish: giofóg f, duine den lucht siúil m, ruagaire reatha m, bóithreoir m, fánaí m, fiaire feá m, seachránaí m
• Italian: zingaro (it) m, zingara (it) f
• Japanese: ジプシー (jipushī)
• Korean: 집시 (jipsi)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: please add this translation if you can

• Latin: ^{(please verify)} gitana
• Macedonian: Ци́ганин m (Cíganin), Ци́ган m (Cígan), Ци́ганка f (Cíganka)
• Norwegian: sigøyner m, sigøynerske f
• Old English: please add this translation if you can
• Persian: کولی (fa) (kowli)
• Polish: cygan (pl) m, cyganka (pl) f
• Portuguese: cigano (pt) m, cigana f
• Romanian: țigan (ro) m, țigancă (ro) f
• Russian: цыга́н (ru) m (cygán), цыга́нка (ru) f (cygánka)
• Scottish Gaelic: giofag f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: Ци̏ганин m, Ци̏га̄нка f

  Roman: Cȉganin (sh) m, Cȉgānka (sh) f

• Slovak: cigán m, cigánka f
• Slovene: cigan m, ciganka f
• Spanish: gitano (es) m, gitana (es) f
• Swedish: zigenare (sv), zigenerska
• Tajik: please add this translation if you can
• Thai: ยิปซี (th) (yíp-sii)
• Turkish: çingene (tr)
• Ukrainian: цига́н m (cyhán), цига́нка f (cyhánka)
• Vietnamese: digan, dân gipsi, người Di Gan, dân gipxi
• Yiddish: ציגײַנער m (tsigayner)

Adjective

gypsy (not comparable)

1. Alternative form of Gypsy: of or belonging to the Romani people.
2. (offensive) Of or having the qualities of an itinerant person or group with qualities traditionally ascribed to Romani people; making a living from dishonest practices or theft etc.

Usage notes

See the notes about Gypsy.

Derived terms

• gyp, gip
• gypsy cab
• gypsy moth
• gypsy mushroom

 

Verb

gypsy (third-person singular simple present gypsies, present participle gypsying, simple past and past participle gypsied)

1. (intransitive) To roam around the country like a gypsy.
   • 1885, Richard F. Burton, chapter XX, in The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, volume I, The Burton Club, page 199 footnote:

     The rest of the day is spent out of doors "Gypsying", and families greatly enjoy themselves on these occasions.

2. To perform the gypsy step in contra dancing.
   • 1992 April 7, win...@ssrl01.slac.stanford.edu, “contra-gypsies”, in rec.folk-dancing (Usenet):

     Look at the person you're gypsying with, and convey the message that you notice them as a person and that you're glad that they're there, […]

   • 1998 September 9, Jonathan Sivier, “Contra Corners - followed by gypsy”, in rec.folk-dancing (Usenet):

     The only one I know of is The Tease by Tom Hinds which starts with the actives gypsying and then swinging their neighbors and ends with contra […]

See also

• bohemian
• knacker
• pavee
• pikey
• Rom
• Roma
• Romani
• Romanichal
• Sinti
• Sinto
• tinker
• traveler
• traveller
• vagabond
• vagrant

 

• Gypsy on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

References

• “gypsy”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.