Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

guy

 - 9 dictionary results

guy

1[gahy] noun, verb, guyed, guy⋅ing.
–noun
1. Informal. a man or boy; fellow: He's a nice guy.
2. Usually, guys. Informal. persons of either sex; people: Could one of you guys help me with this?
3. Chiefly British Slang. a grotesquely dressed person.
4. (often initial capital letter) British. a grotesque effigy of Guy Fawkes that is paraded through the streets and burned on Guy Fawkes Day.
–verb (used with object)
5. to jeer at or make fun of; ridicule.
6. give the guy to, British Slang. to escape from (someone); give (someone) the slip.

Origin:
1800–10; after Guy Fawkes

guy

2[gahy] noun, verb, guyed, guy⋅ing.
–noun
1. a rope, cable, or appliance used to guide and steady an object being hoisted or lowered, or to secure anything likely to shift its position.
–verb (used with object)
2. to guide, steady, or secure with a guy or guys.

Origin:
1300–50; ME gye < OF guie a guide, deriv. of guier to guide

Guy

[gahy; Fr. gee]
–noun
a male given name: from a Germanic word meaning “woods.”
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To guy
guy 1   (gī)   
n.  A rope, cord, or cable used to steady, guide, or secure something.
tr.v.   guyed, guy·ing, guys
To steady, guide, or secure with a rope, cord, or cable.

[Partly from Middle English gie, guide, guy (from Old French guie, from guier, to guide; see weid- in Indo-European roots) and partly from Low German; akin to Dutch gei, brail.]
guy 2   (gī)   
n.  
  1. Informal A man; a fellow.

  2. guys Informal Persons of either sex.

  3. Chiefly British A person of odd or grotesque appearance or dress.

  4. often Guy An effigy of Guy Fawkes paraded through the streets of English towns and burned on Guy Fawkes Day.

tr.v.   guyed, guy·ing, guys
To hold up to ridicule; mock.

[After Guy Fawkes.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
guy

  1. n.
    a fellow; a man or boy. (Colloquial. Very old. Not necessarily male in the plural.) : When you guys finish getting your makeup on, we can go back to the guys.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

guy  (1)
"rope, chain, wire," c.1350, "leader," from O.Fr. guie "a guide," from guier (see guide); or from a similar word in North Sea Gmc. The "rope" sense is nautical, first recorded 1623.

guy  (2)
"fellow," 1847, originally Amer.Eng.; earlier (1836) "grotesquely or poorly dressed person," originally (1806) "effigy of Guy Fawkes," leader of the Gunpowder Plot to blow up British king and Parliament (Nov. 5, 1605), paraded through the streets by children on the anniversary of the conspiracy. The male proper name is from Fr., related to It. Guido, lit. "leader," of Gmc. origin (see guide).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Abbreviations & Acronyms
GUY
Guyana (international vehicle ID)
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see guy on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: