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Gay definition

by Jordan Redman
Staff Writer 

Do you know what the word gay really means?

The word gay dates help to the 12th century and comes from the Old French “gai,” definition “full of joy or mirth.” It may also relate to the Vintage High German “gahi,” interpretation impulsive.

For centuries, gay was used commonly in speech and literature to indicate happy, carefree, bright and showy, and did not take on any sexual meaning until the s.

At that time the essence of gay as carefree evolved to imply that a person was unrestrained by morals and prone to decadence and promiscuity. A prostitute might contain been described as a “gay woman” and a womanizer as a “gay man.”

“Gay house” was commonly used to refer to a brothel and, later, “gaiety” was used as a common name for certain places of entertainment.

In the s, the legal title “gey cat” (a Scottish variant of gay) was used to describe a vagrant who offered sexual services to women or a young traveler who was new to the road and in the company of an older man.

This latter use suggests that the younger bloke was in a sexually submissive role and may be among the first times that gay was used implying a queer relationship.

In , gay appeared in the Oxford Engl

LGBTQIA Resource Center Glossary

GLOSSARY

The terms and definitions below are always evolving, modifying and often mean unlike things to different people. They are provided below as a starting indicate for discussion and knowledge. This Glossary has been collectively built and created by the staff members of the LGBTQIA Resource Center since the preliminary s.

These are not universal definitions. This glossary is provided to help grant others a more thorough but not entirely comprehensive understanding of the significance of these terms. You may even consider asking someone what they express when they use a term, especially when they use it to outline their identity. Ultimately it is most important that each individual define themselves for themselves and therefore also define a legal title for themselves.

 

“If I didn't define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people's fantasies for me and eaten alive.” -Audre Lorde

This glossary contains terms, such as ableism and disability, that may not be considered directly related to identities of sexuality or gender. These terms are crucial to acknowledge as part of our mission to challenge all forms of oppression

gayadjective, adverb, & noun

There are 31 meanings listed in OED's entry for the word gay, nine of which are labelled obsolete, and one of which is considered offensive. View ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

About 20occurrences per million words in modern written English

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Earliest known use

Middle English

The earliest known apply of the word gay is in the Middle English period (—).

OED's earliest evidence for gay is from around , in Ancrene Riwle.

gay is a borrowing from French.

Etymons:Frenchgai.

Nearby entries

  1. gawlin, n–
  2. gawn, n–
  3. gawne, v
  4. gawney, n–
  5. gawp, n–
  6. gawp, v–
  7. gawper, n–
  8. gawpus, n–
  9. gawpy, n–
  10. gawsy, adj–
  11. gay, adj., adv., & n.?c–
  12. gay, v–
  13. gayal, n–
  14. gayatri, n–
  15. gay-baiting, n–
  16. gay bar, n–
  17. gay-bash, v–
  18. gay-basher, n–
  19. gay-bashing, n&

    What Does "Gay" Mean?

    There is not one right answer

    Many educators are unsure how to respond when a student asks you what does queer mean. It is beat to try to respond than to respond with silence or evade the question.

    Practice different responses with colleagues, just as you practice other things that you want to study. Figure out what you feel comfortable saying.

    Responses will vary by age and developmental stage of the student. Your comfort in answering these questions will set a welcoming tone in your class and school community.

    Keep it simple

    An answer can be as simple as: “‘Gay’ means two people of the same gender who adore each other – two women or two men.” Try to answer the question honestly without overloading a student with knowledge. Throughout elementary school a student’s ability to perceive what “gay” means and what your explanation means may increase with development.

    Focus on love and relationships

    A discussion with elementary-age students about the meanings of “gay” or “lesbian” is a discussion about devote and relationships. You can just clarify that people love each other in different ways. Some women love and want to be partners

    How ‘gay’ got its rainbow: What once meant merry is now a badge of identity for homosexuals

    On Thursday, as the Supreme Court decriminalised homosexuality, reading down the controversial British-era section of the penal code, Mumbai-based Arnab Nandy took to social media to express his happiness, as many across the country and the earth were doing. “I am so Gay today…” he wrote in a coming-out post that has since gone viral. But while Nandy’s choice of pos was bang on that day, how did a word that had originally meant light-hearted, carefree or cheerful, become associated with a community whose experience has been often been anything but?

    The Oxford English dictionary traces the history of the word ‘gay’ to the French pos Gai. Merriam Webster takes it further back to a Germanic origin “akin to the Old Upper German Gahi” that meant “quick or sudden”. According to both dictionaries, in English the use of ‘gay’ to mean content, excited, merry, carefree or bright started in the Middle English period that stretches between the 12th and the 16th century.

    All For An Identity

    While some books and websites on the history of the global homosexual movement claim the word male lover was used as a se