[gee-zer] 
| an odd or eccentric man: the old geezer who sells shoelaces on the corner. |
| gee·zer (gē'zər) n. Slang An old person, especially an eccentric old man. [Probably alteration of dialectal guiser, masquerader, from Middle English gysar, from gysen, to dress, from gyse, guise, fashion; see guise.] Word History: A relationship with a word we know well is disguised in the word geezer. A clue to this relationship is found in British dialect. The English Dialect Dictionary defines geezer as "a queer character, a strangely-acting person," and refers the reader to guiser, "a mummer, masquerader." The citations for guiser refer to practices such as the following: "People, usually children ... go about on Christmas Eve, singing, wearing masks, or otherwise disguised," the last word of this passage being the one to which geezer is related. |
geezer
[ˈgizɚ]
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zər