Gay definition | Dictionary.com

Synonyms

blithe, boon, convivial, gleeful, jocund, jolly, jovial, merry, mirthful, bright, rich, vivid

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Gay - 10 dictionary results

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gay

[gey]

adjective, -er, -est, noun, adverb

–adjective

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.

–noun

7.	a homosexual person, esp. a male.

–adverb

8.	in a gay manner.

Origin:
1275–1325; 1950–55 for def. 5; ME gai < OF < Gmc; cf. OHG gāhi fast, sudden

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Language Translation for : Gay

Spanish:

alegre,

German:

fröhlich,

Japanese:

陽気な

View 29 other languages »

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Gay

[gey]

–noun

1.	John, 1685–1732, English poet and dramatist.

2.	a female or male given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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gay (gā) Pronunciation Key
adj. gay·er, gay·est

Of, relating to, or having a sexual orientation to persons of the same sex.
Showing or characterized by cheerfulness and lighthearted excitement; merry.
Bright or lively, especially in color: a gay, sunny room.
Given to social pleasures.
Dissolute; licentious.

A person whose sexual orientation is to persons of the same sex.
A man whose sexual orientation is to men: an alliance of gays and lesbians.

[Middle English gai, lighthearted, brightly colored, from Old French, possibly of Germanic origin.]

gay'ness n.

Usage Note: The word gay is now standard in its use to refer to people whose orientation is to the same sex, in large part because it is the term that most gay people prefer in referring to themselves. Gay is distinguished from homosexual primarily by the emphasis it places on the cultural and social aspects of homosexuality as opposed to sexual practice. Many writers reserve gay for males, but the word is also used to refer to both sexes; when the intended meaning is not clear in the context, the phrase gay and lesbian may be used. Gay is often considered objectionable when used as a noun to refer to particular individuals, as in There were two gays on the panel; here phrasing such as Two members of the panel were gay should be used instead. But there is no objection to the use of the noun in the plural to refer collectively either to gay men or to gay men and lesbians, so long as it is clear whether men alone or both men and women are being discussed. See Usage Note at homosexual.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Gay (gā) Pronunciation Key
English writer known especially for his play The Beggar's Opera (1728).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

gay

1178, "full of joy or mirth," from O.Fr. gai "gay, merry," perhaps from Frank. *gahi (cf. O.H.G. wahi "pretty"). Meaning "brilliant, showy" is from c.1300. OED gives 1951 as earliest date for slang meaning "homosexual" (adj.), but this is certainly too late; gey cat "homosexual boy" is attested in N. Erskine's 1933 dictionary of "Underworld & Prison Slang;" the term gey cat (gey is a Scot. variant of gay) was used as far back as 1893 in Amer.Eng. for "young hobo," one who is new on the road and usually in the company of an older tramp, with catamite connotations. But Josiah Flynt ["Tramping With Tramps," 1905] defines gay cat as, "An amateur tramp who works when his begging courage fails him." Gey cats also were said to be tramps who offered sexual services to women. The "Dictionary of American Slang" reports that gay (adj.) was used by homosexuals, among themselves, in this sense since at least 1920. Rawson ["Wicked Words"] notes a male prostitute using gay in reference to male homosexuals (but also to female prostitutes) in London's notorious Cleveland Street Scandal of 1889. Ayto ["20th Century Words"] calls attention to the ambiguous use of the word in the 1868 song "The Gay Young Clerk in the Dry Goods Store," by U.S. female impersonator Will S. Hays. The word gay in the 1890s had an overall tinge of promiscuity -- a gay house was a brothel. The suggestion of immorality in the word can be traced back to 1637. Gay as a noun meaning "a (usually male) homosexual" is attested from 1971.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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gay
adjective
1.	bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer; "a cheery hello"; "a gay sunny room"; "a sunny smile" [syn: cheery]
2.	full of or showing high-spirited merriment; "when hearts were young and gay"; "a poet could not but be gay, in such a jocund company"- Wordsworth; "the jolly crowd at the reunion"; "jolly old Saint Nick"; "a jovial old gentleman"; "have a merry Christmas"; "peals of merry laughter"; "a mirthful laugh"
3.	given to social pleasures often including dissipation; "led a gay Bohemian life"; "a gay old rogue with an eye for the ladies"
4.	brightly colored and showy; "girls decked out in brave new dresses"; "brave banners flying"; "'braw' is a Scottish word"; "a dress a bit too gay for her years"; "birds with gay plumage" [syn: brave]
5.	offering fun and gaiety; "a festive (or festal) occasion"; "gay and exciting night life"; "a merry evening"
6.	homosexual or arousing homosexual desires
noun
1.	someone who practices homosexuality; having a sexual attraction to persons of the same sex [syn: homosexual]

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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gay

Descriptive term for homosexuals.

[Chapter:] Anthropology, Psychology, and Sociology

Gay, MI Zip code(s): 49945

Gay, WV Zip code(s): 25244

Gay, GA (town, FIPS 32384) Location: 33.09367 N, 84.57400 W
Population (1990): 133 (64 housing units)
Area: 2.0 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)

Mount Gay-Shamrock, WV (CDP, FIPS 56342) Location: 37.85418 N, 82.04269 W
Population (1990): 3377 (1376 housing units)
Area: 28.2 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)

Fort Gay, WV (town, FIPS 28516) Location: 38.11848 N, 82.59454 W
Population (1990): 852 (391 housing units)
Area: 2.1 sq km (land), 0.1 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 25514

U.S. Gazetteer, U.S. Census Bureau
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Gay

Gai"ly\, adv. [From Gay.] Merrily; showily. See gaily.

Gay

Gay\, 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.]

1. Excited with merriment; manifesting sportiveness or delight; inspiring delight; livery; merry.

Belinda smiled, and all the world was gay. --Pope.

Gay hope is theirs by fancy fed. --Gray.

2. Brilliant in colors; splendid; fine; richly dressed.

Why is my neighbor's wife so gay? --Chaucer.

A bevy of fair women, richly gay In gems and wanton dress! --Milton.

3. Loose; dissipated; lewd. [Colloq.]

Syn: Merry; gleeful; blithe; airy; lively; sprightly, sportive; light-hearted; frolicsome; jolly; jovial; joyous; joyful; glad; showy; splendid; vivacious.

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