See also: gypsy

English [ edit ]

Etymology [ edit ]

From Middle English Gipcyan, Gypcyan, (Gyptian), from Old French gyptien. Short for Egyptian, from Latin aegyptius, because when Roma first appeared in England in the sixteenth century they were wrongly believed to have come from Egypt. The Albanian term Evgit, Greek γύφτος (gýftos), Italian gitano and Spanish gitano have the same origin. Doublet of Copt.

The other major categories of words for the Roma are cognates of Rom (words related to the Romani people's autonyms) and cognates of tzigane (words derived from Greek); see those entries for more information.

Pronunciation [ edit ]

Noun [ edit ]

Gypsy (plural Gypsies)

( sometimes offensive ) A member of the Romani people, or one of the sub-groups (Roma, Sinti, Romanichal, etc). A member of other nomadic peoples, not only of the Romani people; a traveller. gypsy Alternative spelling of

Usage notes [ edit ]

Gypsy is an exonym (a name given by outsiders, based on the mistaken belief that Romanis came from Egypt) and many Romani people find it offensive, as it has negative connotations, [1] [2] such as that the people are dishonest or thieving (compare gypsy , gyp ), and it is associated with discrimination and persecution of Romani. Many dictionaries recommend avoiding the term, or give it a negative or warning label. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Gypsy is still more common overall than Romani . [9]

is an exonym (a name given by outsiders, based on the mistaken belief that Romanis came from Egypt) and many Romani people find it offensive, as it has negative connotations, such as that the people are dishonest or thieving (compare , ), and it is associated with discrimination and persecution of Romani. Many dictionaries recommend avoiding the term, or give it a negative or warning label. is still more common overall than . Roma (Rroma) or Rom (Rrom) are sometimes found as synonyms, although narrowly speaking, they refer to a subgroup.

Synonyms [ edit ]

( self-designations ) Romani, Rom, Roma ( broad sense )

Romani, Rom, Roma ( sometimes offensive ) zigeuner, tzigane

Derived terms [ edit ]

Translations [ edit ]

— see Rom a member of the Romani people

Proper noun [ edit ]

Gypsy

( , sometimes raresometimes offensive ) The language Romani. A female given name 1894, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, Gypsy Breynton, page 130: "Why, good afternoon, Miss Gypsy," said Sir Simms; "I'm surprised to see you such a warm day — very much surprised. But you always were a remarkable young lady ..."

Usage notes [ edit ]

See the notes about the noun, above.

Translations [ edit ]

— see Romani the language of the Romani people

female given name Chinese: Mandarin: 吉普賽 吉普赛 ( Jípǔsài )

Adjective [ edit ]

Gypsy (not comparable)

( sometimes offensive ) Of or belonging to the Romani people or one of it sub-groups (Roma, Sinti, Romanichel, etc).

Usage notes [ edit ]

See the notes about the noun, above.

Translations [ edit ]

— see Romani of or belonging to the Roma people

See also [ edit ]

Further reading [ edit ]

References [ edit ]