gay

gay
gayness, n.
/gay/, adj., gayer, gayest, n., adv.
adj.
1. having or showing a merry, lively mood: gay spirits; gay music.
2. bright or showy: gay colors; gay ornaments.
3. given to or abounding in social or other pleasures: a gay social season.
4. licentious; dissipated; wanton: The baron is a gay old rogue with an eye for the ladies.
5. homosexual.
6. of, indicating, or supporting homosexual interests or issues: a gay organization.
n.
7. a homosexual person, esp. a male.
adv.
8. in a gay manner.
[1275-1325; 1950-55 for def. 5; ME gai < OF < Gmc; cf. OHG gahi fast, sudden]
Syn. 1. gleeful, jovial, glad, joyous, happy, cheerful, sprightly, blithe, airy, light-hearted; vivacious, frolicsome, sportive, hilarious. GAY, JOLLY, JOYFUL, MERRY describe a happy or light-hearted mood. GAY suggests a lightness of heart or liveliness of mood that is openly manifested: when hearts were young and gay. JOLLY indicates a good-humored, natural, expansive gaiety of mood or disposition: a jolly crowd at a party.
JOYFUL suggests gladness, happiness, rejoicing: joyful over the good news. MERRY is often interchangeable with gay: a merry disposition; a merry party; it suggests, even more than the latter, convivial animated enjoyment. 2. brilliant.
Ant. 1. unhappy, mournful.
Usage. In addition to its original and continuing senses of "merry, lively" and "bright or showy," GAY has had various senses dealing with sexual conduct since the 17th century. A gay woman was a prostitute, a gay man a womanizer, a gay house a brothel. This sexual world included homosexuals too, and GAY as an adjective meaning "homosexual" goes back at least to the early 1900s.
After World War II, as social attitudes toward sexuality began to change, GAY was applied openly by homosexuals to themselves, first as an adjective and later as a noun. Today, the noun often designates only a male homosexual: gays and lesbians. The word has ceased to be slang and is not used disparagingly. HOMOSEXUAL as a noun is sometimes used only in reference to a male.

* * *

(as used in expressions)
Gay John
Gay Lussac Joseph Louis
Marvin Pentz Gay

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

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  • gay — gay …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • gay — late 14c., full of joy, merry; light hearted, carefree; also wanton, lewd, lascivious (late 12c. as a surname, Philippus de Gay), from O.Fr. gai joyful, happy; pleasant, agreeably charming; forward, pert (12c.; Cf. O.Sp. gayo, Port. gaio, It.… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Gay — ist ein aus dem Englischen übernommenes Fremdwort für homosexuell. Es wird als Adjektiv im allgemeinen Sprachgebrauch des deutschsprachigen Raumes häufig synonym mit schwul verwendet, weil es mehrheitlich als weniger direkt und dennoch nicht so… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • gay — [ gɛ ] adj. inv. • 1952 dans un contexte américain; mot angl. « gai » par euphém. ♦ Relatif à l homosexualité masculine, aux homosexuels. Des bars gay. N. m. Homosexuel. Les gays. (Parfois francisé en gai.) ⊗ HOM. Gai, guai, guet. ● gay adjectif… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • gay — 1. • There is no historical case for homosexual ownership of ‘gay’. So can we have our word back, please.’ Paul Johnson, 1995. This typifies the reaction of many people to this major change, occurring from the mid 20c but with occasional earlier… …   Modern English usage

  • gay — GAY, Gaye. adj. Joyeux. Un homme gay. un visage gay. mine gaye. humeur gaye. esprit gay. estre gay. rendre gay. se tenir gay. devenir gay. avoir l esprit gay, l oeil gay. avoir un air gay. il est gay & gaillard. Il sign. aussi, Ce qui resjoüit.… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Gay.ru — URL: gay.ru …   Википедия

  • GAY (J.) — GAY JOHN (1685 1732) Orphelin dès l’âge de dix ans, John Gay fut placé par son oncle à l’école de Barnstaple où il eut un bon maître latiniste, qui lui donna l’amour des classiques. À sa sortie de l’école, il fut pris en apprentissage chez un… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Gay — (g[=a]), a. [Compar. {Gayer}; superl. {Gayest}.] [F. gai, perhaps fr. OHG. g?hi swift, rapid, G. g[ a]h, j[ a]h, steep, hasty; or cf. OHG. w?hi beatiful, good. Cf. {Jay}.] [1913 Webster] 1. Excited with merriment; manifesting sportiveness or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gay — Gay: Gay мужчина с гомосексуальной идентичностью, другие названия: гомосексуал, голубой, человек с нетрадиционной сексуальной ориентацией. Gay фамилия «Гей» на иностранных языках. Gay   общепринятое сокращение (обозначение) имени… …   Википедия

  • Gay — /gay/, n. 1. John, 1685 1732, English poet and dramatist. 2. a female or male given name. * * * (as used in expressions) gay rights movement Gay John Gay Lussac Joseph Louis Marvin Pentz Gay * * * …   Universalium

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