All meanings of the word gay

This article is about gay as an English-language term. For the sexual orientation, see homosexuality. For homosexual men, see gay men. For homosexual women, see lesbian. For other uses, see Gay (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with Guy.

Gay is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant ‘carefree’, ‘cheerful’, or ‘bright and showy’.^[1]

While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 19th century, that meaning became increasingly common by the mid-20th century.^[2] In modern English, gay has come to be used as an adjective, and as a noun, referring to the community, practices and cultures associated with homosexuality. In the 1960s, gay became the word favored by homosexual men to describe their sexual orientation.^[3] By the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century, the word gay was recommended by major LGBT groups and style guides to describe people attracted to members of the same sex,^[4][5] although it is more commonly used to refer specifically to men.^[6]

At about the same time, a new, pejorative use became prevalent in some parts of the world. Among younger speakers, the word has a meaning ranging from derision (e.g., equivalent to ‘rubbish’ or ‘stupid’) to a light-hearted mockery or ridicule (e.g., equivalent to ‘weak’, ‘unmanly’, or ‘lame’). The extent to which these usages still retain connotations of homosexuality has been debated and harshly criticized.^{[7][8][needs update]}

History

Overview

The word gay arrived in English during the 12th century from Old French gai, most likely deriving ultimately from a Germanic source.^[2]

In English, the word’s primary meaning was «joyful», «carefree», «bright and showy», and the word was very commonly used with this meaning in speech and literature. For example, the optimistic 1890s are still often referred to as the Gay Nineties. The title of the 1938 French ballet Gaîté Parisienne («Parisian Gaiety»), which became the 1941 Warner Brothers movie, The Gay Parisian,^[10] also illustrates this connotation. It was apparently not until the 20th century that the word began to be used to mean specifically «homosexual», although it had earlier acquired sexual connotations.^[2]

The derived abstract noun gaiety remains largely free of sexual connotations and has, in the past, been used in the names of places of entertainment, such as the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin.

Sexualization

The word may have started to acquire associations of immorality as early as the 14th century, but had certainly acquired them by the 17th.^[2] By the late 17th century, it had acquired the specific meaning of «addicted to pleasures and dissipations»,^[11] an extension of its primary meaning of «carefree» implying «uninhibited by moral constraints». A gay woman was a prostitute, a gay man a womanizer, and a gay house a brothel.^[12][2] An example is a letter read to a London court in 1885 during the prosecution of brothel madam and procuress Mary Jeffries that had been written by a girl while enslaved inside of a French brothel:

«I write to tell you it is a gay house…Some captains came in the other night, and the mistress wanted us to sleep with them.»^[13]

The use of gay to mean «homosexual» was often an extension of its application to prostitution: a gay boy was a young man or boy serving male clients.^[14]

Similarly, a gay cat was a young male apprenticed to an older hobo and commonly exchanging sex and other services for protection and tutelage.^[2] The application to homosexuality was also an extension of the word’s sexualized connotation of «carefree and uninhibited», which implied a willingness to disregard conventional or respectable sexual mores. Such usage, documented as early as the 1920s, was likely present before the 20th century,^[2] although it was initially more commonly used to imply heterosexually unconstrained lifestyles, as in the once-common phrase «gay Lothario»,^[15] or in the title of the book and film The Gay Falcon (1941), which concerns a womanizing detective whose first name is «Gay». Similarly, Fred Gilbert and G. H. MacDermott’s music hall song of the 1880s, «Charlie Dilke Upset the Milk» – «Master Dilke upset the milk, when taking it home to Chelsea; the papers say that Charlie’s gay, rather a wilful wag!» – referred to Sir Charles Dilke’s alleged heterosexual impropriety.^[16] Giving testimony in court in 1889, the prostitute John Saul stated: «I occasionally do odd-jobs for different gay people.»^[17]

Well into the mid 20th century a middle-aged bachelor could be described as «gay», indicating that he was unattached and therefore free, without any implication of homosexuality. This usage could apply to women too. The British comic strip Jane, first published in the 1930s, described the adventures of Jane Gay. Far from implying homosexuality, it referred to her free-wheeling lifestyle with plenty of boyfriends (while also punning on Lady Jane Grey).

A passage from Gertrude Stein’s Miss Furr & Miss Skeene (1922) is possibly the first traceable published use of the word to refer to a homosexual relationship. According to Linda Wagner-Martin (Favored Strangers: Gertrude Stein and her Family, 1995) the portrait «featured the sly repetition of the word gay, used with sexual intent for one of the first times in linguistic history,» and Edmund Wilson (1951, quoted by James Mellow in Charmed Circle, 1974) agreed.^[18] For example:

They were … gay, they learned little things that are things in being gay, … they were quite regularly gay.

— Gertrude Stein, 1922

The word continued to be used with the dominant meaning of «carefree», as evidenced by the title of The Gay Divorcee (1934), a musical film about a heterosexual couple.

Bringing Up Baby (1938) was the first film to use the word gay in an apparent reference to homosexuality. In a scene in which Cary Grant’s character’s clothes have been sent to the cleaners, he is forced to wear a woman’s feather-trimmed robe. When another character asks about his robe, he responds, «Because I just went gay all of a sudden!» Since this was a mainstream film at a time, when the use of the word to refer to cross-dressing (and, by extension, homosexuality) would still be unfamiliar to most film-goers, the line can also be interpreted to mean, «I just decided to do something frivolous.»^[19]

In 1950, the earliest reference found to date for the word gay as a self-described name for homosexuals came from Alfred A. Gross, executive secretary for the George W. Henry Foundation, who said in the June 1950 issue of SIR magazine: «I have yet to meet a happy homosexual. They have a way of describing themselves as gay but the term is a misnomer. Those who are habitues of the bars frequented by others of the kind, are about the saddest people I’ve ever seen.»^[20]

Shift to specifically homosexual

By the mid-20th century, gay was well established in reference to hedonistic and uninhibited lifestyles^[11] and its antonym straight, which had long had connotations of seriousness, respectability, and conventionality, had now acquired specific connotations of heterosexuality.^[21] In the case of gay, other connotations of frivolousness and showiness in dress («gay apparel») led to association with camp and effeminacy. This association no doubt helped the gradual narrowing in scope of the term towards its current dominant meaning, which was at first confined to subcultures. Gay was the preferred term since other terms, such as queer, were felt to be derogatory.^[22] Homosexual is perceived as excessively clinical,^[23][24][25] since the sexual orientation now commonly referred to as «homosexuality» was at that time a mental illness diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

In mid-20th century Britain, where male homosexuality was illegal until the Sexual Offences Act 1967, to openly identify someone as homosexual was considered very offensive and an accusation of serious criminal activity. Additionally, none of the words describing any aspect of homosexuality were considered suitable for polite society. Consequently, a number of euphemisms were used to hint at suspected homosexuality. Examples include «sporty» girls and «artistic» boys,^[26] all with the stress deliberately on the otherwise completely innocent adjective.

The 1960s marked the transition in the predominant meaning of the word gay from that of «carefree» to the current «homosexual». In the British comedy-drama film Light Up the Sky! (1960), directed by Lewis Gilbert, about the antics of a British Army searchlight squad during World War II, there is a scene in the mess hut where the character played by Benny Hill proposes an after-dinner toast. He begins, «I’d like to propose…» at which point a fellow diner interjects «Who to?», implying a proposal of marriage. The Benny Hill character responds, «Not to you for start, you ain’t my type». He then adds in mock doubt, «Oh, I don’t know, you’re rather gay on the quiet.»

By 1963, a new sense of the word gay was known well enough to be used by Albert Ellis in his book The Intelligent Woman’s Guide to Man-Hunting. Similarly, Hubert Selby Jr. in his 1964 novel Last Exit to Brooklyn, could write that a character «took pride in being a homosexual by feeling intellectually and esthetically superior to those (especially women) who weren’t gay….»^[27] Later examples of the original meaning of the word being used in popular culture include the theme song to the 1960–1966 animated TV series The Flintstones, wherein viewers are assured that they will «have a gay old time.» Similarly, the 1966 Herman’s Hermits song «No Milk Today», which became a Top 10 hit in the UK and a Top 40 hit in the U.S., included the lyric «No milk today, it was not always so; The company was gay, we’d turn night into day.»^[28]

In June 1967, the headline of the review of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album in the British daily newspaper The Times stated, «The Beatles revive hopes of progress in pop music with their gay new LP».^[29] The same year, The Kinks recorded «David Watts», which is about a schoolmate of Ray Davies, but is named after a homosexual concert promoter they knew, with the ambiguous line «he is so gay and fancy-free» attesting to the word’s double meaning at that time.^[30] As late as 1970, the first episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show has the demonstrably straight Mary Richards’ neighbor Phyllis breezily declaiming that Mary is still «young and gay», but in an episode about two years later, Phyllis is told that her brother is «gay», which is immediately understood to mean that he is homosexual.

Homosexuality

Sexual orientation, identity, behavior

The American Psychological Association defines sexual orientation as «an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions to men, women, or both sexes,» ranging «along a continuum, from exclusive attraction to the other sex to exclusive attraction to the same sex.»^[31] Sexual orientation can also be «discussed in terms of three categories: heterosexual (having emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to members of the other sex), gay/lesbian (having emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to members of one’s own sex), and bisexual (having emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to both men and women).»^[31]

According to Rosario, Schrimshaw, Hunter, Braun (2006), «the development of a lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) sexual identity is a complex and often difficult process. Unlike members of other minority groups (e.g., ethnic and racial minorities), most LGB individuals are not raised in a community of similar others from whom they learn about their identity and who reinforce and support that identity. Rather, LGB individuals are often raised in communities that are either ignorant of or openly hostile toward homosexuality.»^[32]

The British gay rights activist Peter Tatchell has argued that the term gay is merely a cultural expression which reflects the current status of homosexuality within a given society, and claiming that «Queer, gay, homosexual … in the long view, they are all just temporary identities. One day, we will not need them at all.»^[33]

If a person engages in sexual activity with a partner of the same sex but does not self-identify as gay, terms such as ‘closeted’, ‘discreet’, or ‘bi-curious’ may apply. Conversely, a person may identify as gay without having had sex with a same-sex partner. Possible choices include identifying as gay socially, while choosing to be celibate, or while anticipating a first homosexual experience. Further, a bisexual person might also identify as «gay» but others may consider gay and bisexual to be mutually exclusive. There are some who are drawn to the same sex but neither engage in sexual activity nor identify as gay; these could have the term asexual applied, even though asexual generally can mean no attraction, or involve heterosexual attraction but no sexual activity.

Terminology

Some reject the term homosexual as an identity-label because they find it too clinical-sounding;^[24][25][34] they believe it is too focused on physical acts rather than romance or attraction, or too reminiscent of the era when homosexuality was considered a mental illness. Conversely, some reject the term gay as an identity-label because they perceive the cultural connotations to be undesirable or because of the negative connotations of the slang usage of the word.

Style guides, like the following from the Associated Press, call for gay over homosexual:

Gay: Used to describe men and women attracted to the same sex, though lesbian is the more common term for women. Preferred over homosexual except in clinical contexts or references to sexual activity.^[6]

There are those who reject the gay label for reasons other than shame or negative connotations. Writer Alan Bennett^[35] and fashion icon André Leon Talley^[36] are out and open gay men who reject being labeled gay, believing the gay label confines them.

Starting in the mid-1980s in the United States, a conscious effort was underway within what was then commonly called the gay community, to add the term lesbian to the name of organizations that involved both male and female homosexuals, and to use the terminology of gay and lesbian, lesbian/gay, or a similar phrase when referring to that community. Accordingly, organizations such as the National Gay Task Force became the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. For many feminist lesbians, it was also important that lesbian be named first, to avoid the implication that women were secondary to men, or an afterthought.^[37] In the 1990s, this was followed by a similar effort to include terminology specifically including bisexual, transgender, intersex, and other people, reflecting the intra-community debate about the inclusion of these other sexual minorities as part of the same movement. Consequently, the portmanteau les/bi/gay has sometimes been used, and initialisms such as LGBT, LGBTQ, LGBTQI, and others have come into common use by such organizations, and most news organizations have formally adopted some such variation.

Descriptor

The term gay can also be used as an adjective to describe things related to homosexual men, or things which are part of the said culture. For example, the term «gay bar» describes the bar which either caters primarily to a homosexual male clientele or is otherwise part of homosexual male culture.

Using it to describe an object, such as an item of clothing, suggests that it is particularly flamboyant, often on the verge of being gaudy and garish. This usage predates the association of the term with homosexuality but has acquired different connotations since the modern usage developed.

Use as a noun

The label gay was originally used purely as an adjective («he is a gay man» or «he is gay»). The term has also been in use as a noun with the meaning «homosexual man» since the 1970s, most commonly in the plural for an unspecified group, as in «gays are opposed to that policy.» This usage is somewhat common in the names of organizations such as Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and Children of Lesbians And Gays Everywhere (COLAGE). It is sometimes used to refer to individuals, as in «he is a gay» or «two gays were there too,» although this may be perceived as derogatory.^[38] It was also used for comedic effect by the Little Britain character Dafydd Thomas.

Generalized pejorative use

This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: Language about sexual orientation has changed a lot since the date these sources were written. See talk page for further discussion. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (July 2022)

When used with a derisive attitude (e.g., «that was so gay»), the word gay is pejorative. Though retaining other meanings, its use among young people as a term of disparagement is common with 97 percent of American LGBTQ middle and high school students reporting hearing its negative use in 2021.^[39][7][40] This pejorative usage has its origins in the late 1970s, with the word gaining a pejorative sense by association with the previous meaning: homosexuality was seen as inferior or undesirable.^[41] Beginning in the 1980s, and especially in the late 1990s, the usage as a generic insult became common among young people.^[7]

This usage of the word has been criticized as homophobic. A 2006 BBC ruling by the Board of Governors over the use of the word in this context by Chris Moyles on his Radio 1 show, «I do not want that one, it’s gay,» advises «caution on its use» for this reason:

«The word ‘gay’, in addition to being used to mean ‘homosexual’ or ‘carefree’, was often now used to mean ‘lame’ or ‘rubbish’. This is a widespread current usage of the word amongst young people … The word ‘gay’ … need not be offensive … or homophobic … The governors said, however, that Moyles was simply keeping up with developments in English usage. … The committee … was «familiar with hearing this word in this context.» The governors believed that in describing a ring tone as ‘gay’, the DJ was conveying that he thought it was ‘rubbish’, rather than ‘homosexual’. … The panel acknowledged however that this use … in a derogatory sense … could cause offense in some listeners, and counseled caution on its use.

— BBC Board of Governors^[40]

The BBC’s ruling was heavily criticized by the Minister for Children, Kevin Brennan, who stated in response that «the casual use of homophobic language by mainstream radio DJs» is:

«too often seen as harmless banter instead of the offensive insult that it really represents. … To ignore this problem is to collude in it. The blind eye to casual name-calling, looking the other way because it is the easy option, is simply intolerable.»^[42]

Shortly after the Moyles incident, a campaign against homophobia was launched in Britain under the slogan «homophobia is gay», playing on the double meaning of the word «gay» in youth culture, as well as the popular perception that vocal homophobia is common among closeted homosexuals.^[43]

In a 2013 article published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, University of Michigan researchers Michael Woodford, Alex Kulick and Perry Silverschanz, alongside Appalachian State University professor Michael L. Howell, argued that the pejorative use of the word «gay» was a microaggression.^[44] Their research found that college-age men were more likely to repeat the word pejoratively if their friends said it, while they were less likely to say it if they had lesbian, gay or bisexual peers.^[44]

Parallels in other languages

• The concept of a «gay identity» and the use of the term gay may not be used or understood the same way in non-Westernised cultures, since modes of sexuality may differ from those prevalent in the West.^[45] For example, the term «two spirit» is not interchangeable with «LGBT Native American» or «gay Indian».^[46] This term differs from most western, mainstream definitions of sexuality and gender identity in that it is not a self-chosen term of personal sexual or gender «identity»; rather, it is a sacred, spiritual and ceremonial role that is recognized and confirmed by the Elders of the two spirit’s ceremonial community.^[46][47]
• The German equivalent for «gay», «schwul», which is etymologically derived from «schwül» (hot, humid), also acquired the pejorative meaning within youth culture.^[48]

See also

References

Further reading

• Cory, Donald Webster (1951). The Homosexual in America: A Subjective Approach. Greenberg. p. 107. Chapter 9 («Take My Word For It») includes a valuable discussion of the term «gay.».
• Leap, William (1995). Beyond the Lavender Lexicon: Authenticity, Imagination, and Appropriation in Lesbian and Gay Language. Taylor & Francis. p. 360. ISBN 978-2-88449-181-5.

External links

• 1
  gay
  
  

  gay [geɪ]

  1) весёлый; ра́достный

  2) я́ркий, пёстрый; наря́дный; блестя́щий

  4) беспу́тный;

  Англо-русский словарь Мюллера > gay

• 2
  gay
  
  

  Персональный Сократ > gay

• 3
  gay
  
  

  1. [geı]

  разг.

  «гомик», гомосексуалист ( a male gay)

  2. [geı]

  1. 1) весёлый, радостный, беспечный

  gay voices — весёлые /радостные/ голоса

  we were all gay at the thought of the coming holidays — мы все радовались в предвкушении приближающихся каникул

  2) весёлый, радующий, создающий хорошее настроение

  gay tune — весёлый /живой/ мотив

  on this gay occasion — в этот радостный день, по этому радостному случаю

  2. яркий, пёстрый; нарядный; блестящий

  gay frocks — яркие /нарядные/ платья

  gay with streamers — нарядно украшенный серпантином /лентами/

  5. беспутный

  gay people — «гомики», гомосексуалисты

  gay liberation (movement) — движение за признание законности гомосексуализма

  gay science — поэзия ( любовная)

  gay bird /dog/ — а) любитель удовольствий; б) весельчак, гуляка

  gay lady — а) женщина лёгкого поведения; б) дама

  (as) gayas a lark — очень весёлый, жизнерадостный

  3. [geı]

  = gaily

  НБАРС > gay

• 4
  gay
  
  

  1. n разг. «гомик», гомосексуалист

  2. a весёлый, радостный, беспечный

  3. a весёлый, радующий, создающий хорошее настроение

  4. a яркий, пёстрый; нарядный; блестящий

  5. a амер. вздорный, наглый

  6. a разг. подвыпивший

  7. a беспутный

  8. a разг. гомосексуальный

  Синонимический ряд:

  1. airy (adj.) airy; sunny

  2. bright (adj.) bright; colourful; vivid

  3. brilliant (adj.) brilliant; fine; showy

  4. cheerful (adj.) cheerful; cheery; convivial; festive; frolicsome; glad; good-humored; good-humoured; joyful; joyous; lighthearted; pleasing

  5. colorful (adj.) brave; colorful; colory

  6. homosexual (adj.) homoerotic; homophile; homosexual; lesbian; uranian

  7. lively (adj.) alert; animate; animated; chipper; dashing; keen; lively; peppy; pert; rousing; spirited; sprightful; sprightly; unpedantic

  8. merry (adj.) blithe; blithesome; boon; gleeful; happy; jocund; jolly; jovial; light-hearted; merry; mirthful; riant; vivacious

  9. presumptuous (adj.) brash; brassbound; confident; forward; overconfident; overweening; presuming; presumptuous; pushful; pushing; self-asserting; self-assertive; uppish; uppity

  10. wild (adj.) devil-may-care; dissolute; fast; raffish; rakehell; rakish; sporty; wild

  Антонимический ряд:

  angry; colourless; cross; crushed; dejected; depressed; discouraged; dowdy; dull; gloomy; grave; grim; grouchy; heavy; heterosexual; languid; melancholy

  English-Russian base dictionary > gay

• 5
  gay
  
  

  гей
  имя существительное:

  гомик (queer, homo, fag, gay, raver, homosexual)

  педрила (fag, queer, gay, queen, pansy boy, homo)

  имя прилагательное:

  Англо-русский синонимический словарь > gay

• 6
  gay
  
  

  [geɪ]

  adj

  1) весёлый, радостный, беспечный, яркий

  The streets were gay with their songs. — Их веселые песни наполняли улицы.

  He felt gay at the news (at the departure, at the prospects). — Он радовался новостям (отъезду, перспективам).

  He was gay at coming holidays. — Он радовался предстоящему отпуску.

  — gay person

  
  — gay colours
  — be gay
  — be gay in one’s greetings
  — be gay with smb

  2) яркий, пёстрый, нарядный, блестящий

  The streets were gay with lights. — На улицах была иллюминация

  
  — gay frocks
  — gay with streamers
  — gay in colour
  — dressed in her gayest dress

  English-Russian combinatory dictionary > gay

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  gay
  
  

  The new dictionary of modern spoken language > gay

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  gay
  
  

  [ɡeɪ]

  gay беспутный; to lead a gay life вести беспутную жизнь gay веселый; радостный gay яркий, пестрый; нарядный, блестящий gay беспутный; to lead a gay life вести беспутную жизнь

  English-Russian short dictionary > gay

• 9
  gay
  
  

  ɡeɪ
  1. прил.
  1) а) веселый, радостный;
  беззаботный, беспечный( о человеке) Syn: merry, cheerful, light-hearted б) подвижный, гарцующий (о лошади) Syn: lively, prancing
  2) а) (с уничижительным оттенком) легкомысленный, безголовый, бесшабашный Syn: airy, off-hand б) беспутный Syn: dissolute, dissipated
  3) эффектный, яркий, пестрый;
  блестящий, нарядный Their costumes were gay with ribbons. ≈ У них были очень эффектные костюмы с лентами. Syn: bright, blazing, showy
  4) а) гомосексуальный( о мужчинах) Syn: homosexual б) эвф. легкого поведения, ведущая распутный образ жизни( о женщинах)
  2. сущ.
  1) диал. а) орнамент, украшение б) яркая иллюстрация в книге
  2) гомосексуалист, мужеложец, содомит Syn: homosexual
  (разговорное) «гомик», гомосексуалист (тж. a male *) веселый, радостный, беспечный — * voices веселые /радостные/ голоса — we were all * at the thought of the coming holidays мы все радовались в предвкушении приближающихся каникул веселый, радующий, создающий хорошее настроение — * tune веселый /живой/ мотив — on this * occasion в этот радостный день, по этому радостному случаю — * Paree( разговорное) веселый, сияющий Париж яркий, пестрый;
  нарядный;
  блестящий — * colours пестрые цвета — * flowers яркие цветы — * frocks яркие /нарядные/ платья — * with streamers нарядно украшенный серпантином /лентами/ — the streets were * with lights на улицах была иллюминация — dressed in her *est (dress) (разговорное) одетая в самое нарядное платье (американизм) вздорный, наглый( разговорное) подвыпивший — he was rather * он был немного навеселе беспутный — to lead a * life вести беспутную жизнь( разговорное) гомосексуальный — * people «гомики», гомосексуалисты — he is * он педераст — * liberation (movement) движение за признание законности гомосексуализма — * women лесбиянки > * science( устаревшее) поэзия( особ. любовная) > * bird /dog/ любитель удовольствий;
  весельчак, гуляка > * lady женщина легкого поведения;
  (карточное) дама > * Lothario ловелас > (as) * as a lark очень веселый, жизнерадостный > I don’t feel very * я не очень хорошо себя чувствую (устаревшее) весело, радостно;
  ярко
  gay беспутный;
  to lead a gay life вести беспутную жизнь ~ веселый;
  радостный ~ яркий, пестрый;
  нарядный, блестящий
  gay беспутный;
  to lead a gay life вести беспутную жизнь

  Большой англо-русский и русско-английский словарь > gay

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  gay
  
  

  The Americanisms. English-Russian dictionary. > gay

• 11
  GAY
  
  

  гей, гомосексуалист.

  В этом слове, как оно понимается сейчас в Америке, нет негативной эмоциональной окраски (как в русском слове «голубой»). Достаточно сказать, что оно используется инакосексующимися как самоназвание. Первое, словарное значение его очень сильно потеснено в словоупотреблении. В ежегодных городских мероприятиях под названием Gay Pride Parade (такие парады проходят во всех больших городах) в первых рядах часто идет мэр — голосуют-то все, а некоторые даже активнее других!

  За равные права всех и во всем борются патологически принципиально (см. GLBT (LGBT)), даже под флагами. На цв. илл. — флаг, символизирующий равенство в правах сексуальных меньшинств.

  Gay-bashing — дискриминация, нападки, нападения, приставания к ним, во всех смыслах. В Питере в свое время этим занимался журналист неофашистского толка А. Невзоров. Попробовал бы такой невзоров что-нибудь в этом роде в Штатах отчебучить — это если не срок, то уж деньги и кишкомотание изрядные, это точно.

  Геев, понятно, любят не все, но тут уж см. слово «FAG».

  American slang. English-Russian dictionary > GAY

• 12
  gay
  
  

  Голубой, гомосексуалист. Примерно в середине XX в. в Великобритании гомосексуалисты стали называть себя этим словом и хотели, чтобы широкая публика также использовала это слово вместо традиционного homosexual или унизительных терминов, таких как fag, faggot, fairy, homo, pansy и queer. Этот выбор был вызван тем, что с XVII в. слово gay использовали по отношению к человеку ‘addicted to social pleasures and dissipations’ («пристрастному к общественным удовольствиям и разгулу»), такое определение даёт Оксфордский словарь английского языка. С начала XIX в. это слово стали использовать по отношению к женщине, «ведущей аморальный образ жизни, зарабатывающей проституцией». Другими словами, это было распространённое слово, характеризующее осуждаемое обществом сексуальное поведение определённого рода. Викторианское общество знало эти значения слова gay, но не видело в них противоречия основному значению этого слова — «яркий, свежий» (о цвете); «блестящий, показной», которое употреблялось с XIV в. Постепенно стало возрастать недовольство по поводу того, что основное, более старое значение слова было практически вытеснено и могло употребляться только с определённой интонацией, говорящей, что собеседник не имеет в виду сексуальное значение этого слова. Говорят, что сейчас гомосексуалисты в США предпочитают называться queer.

  English-Russian dictionary of expressions > gay

• 13
  gay
  
  

  adjective

  1) веселый; радостный

  2) беспутный; to lead a gay life вести беспутную жизнь

  3) яркий, пестрый; нарядный, блестящий

  * * *

  1 (0) ‘гомик’; ярко

  2 (a) беспечный; беспутный; веселый; вздорный; гомосексуальный; наглый; нарядный; пестрый; радостный; яркий

  3 (n) весело; гомосексуалист; радостно

  * * *

  веселый; пестрый, яркий

  * * *

  [ geɪ]
  гомосексуалист, гей, голубой (сл.)
  веселый, радостный; пестрый, яркий, блестящий; беспутный; гомосексуальный

  * * *

  беспутный

  блестящий

  веселый

  весёлый

  красочен

  красочный

  нарядный

  пестр

  пестрый

  радостный

  цветистый

  яркий

  * * *

  1. прил.
  1) а) веселый, радостный; беззаботный, беспечный (о человеке)
  б) подвижный, гарцующий (о лошади)
  2) а) (с уничижительным оттенком) легкомысленный
  б) беспутный
  2. сущ.
  1) диал.
  а) орнамент
  б) яркая иллюстрация в книге
  2) гомосексуалист

  Новый англо-русский словарь > gay

• 14
  gay
  
  

  [geɪ]
  1.

  прил.

  Syn:

  а) весёлый, радостный; беззаботный, беспечный

  Syn:

  б) подвижный, гарцующий

  Syn:

  а) легкомысленный, безголовый, бесшабашный

  Syn:

  б) беспутный, распутный

  Syn:

  4)

  уст.

  эффектный, яркий, пёстрый; блестящий, нарядный

  Their costumes were gay with ribbons. — У них были очень эффектные костюмы с лентами.

  Syn:

  2.

  сущ.

  1) гей, гомосексуалист, мужеложец, содомит

  Syn:

  а) орнамент, украшение

  Англо-русский современный словарь > gay

• 15
  gay
  
  

  гей; гомосексуалист.

  * * *

  сущ.

  гей; гомосексуалист.

  Англо-русский словарь по социологии > gay

• 16
  GAY
  
  

  Универсальный англо-русский словарь > GAY

• 17
  gay
  
  

  Универсальный англо-русский словарь > gay

• 18
  gay as
  
  

  Универсальный англо-русский словарь > gay as

• 19
  gay it
  
  

  Универсальный англо-русский словарь > gay it

• 20
  gay
  
  

  [geɪ]

  веселый, радостный; беззаботный, беспечный

  подвижный, гарцующий

  легкомысленный, безголовый, бесшабашный

  беспутный

  эффектный, яркий, пестрый; блестящий, нарядный

  гомосексуальный

  легкого поведения, ведущая распутный образ жизни

  орнамент, украшение

  яркая иллюстрация в книге

  гомосексуалист, мужеложец, содомит

  Англо-русский большой универсальный переводческий словарь > gay

Английский

gay (прилагательное)

Морфологические и синтаксические свойства

сравн. ст.	превосх. ст.
gayer	gayest

gay

Прилагательное.

Корень: —.

Произношение

• МФА: [geɪ] 

Семантические свойства

Значение

1. гей, гомосексуальный; однополый ◆ gay bar — гей-бар ◆ gay marriage — однополый брак
2. устар. весёлый, радостный (основные значения до 1960-х гг.) ◆ Never was there a more copious fancy or greater reach of wit than what appears in Dr. Donne; nothing can be more gallant or genteel than the poems of Mr. Waller; nothing more gay or sprightly than those of sir John Suckling; and nothing fuller of variety and learning than Mr. Cowley’s. Samuel Johnson, «The Life of Thomas Yalden», 1810 г. ◆ Here on the left bank of the Neva are also the huge, gay-colored buildings of the Admiralty, and St. Isaac’s Church, built wholly of granite and marble. Георг Брандес, «Impressions of Russia», 1889 г.
3. устар. беззаботный, беспечный (основные значения до 1960-х гг.) ◆ The Gay Nineties — Беззаботные 1890-е
4. устар. эвф. распутный; лёгкого поведения (о женщине); бабник, повеса (о мужчине) ◆ 〈…〉it is possible for people years ago to have spent a gay life and to have not got rid of their disease, or they may have become diseased by their husbands or lovers — 〈…〉возможно, что люди сколько-то лет назад вели распутную жизнь и не избавились от своего заболевания, либо же их могли заразить мужья или любовники «Select Committee on Contagious Diseases Act», 1879 // «House of Commons, Reports from Committees»
5. устар. яркий, пёстрый, блестящий; нарядный ◆ Their costumes were gay with ribbons. — У них были очень нарядные костюмы с лентами.
6. жарг. и уничиж. отстойный, беспонтовый, противный ◆ This game is gay; let’s play a different one. — Эта игра отстойная; давайте поиграем в другую.

Синонимы

1. homosexual
2. joyful, happy, lively
3. carefree, careless, uncareful, easy-going
4. promiscuous, concupiscent, lascivious, lecherous, libidinous, licentious, oversexed, salacious
5. bright, blazing, showy, cheerful, colourful, festive
6. ghey; lame, uncool, stupid

Антонимы

1. hetero, heterosexual
2. depressed, joyless, cheerless, gloomy, dreary
3. wary, cautious, circumspect, gingerly
4. frigid, undersexed
5. colourless, drab, dull, lackluster, lusterless
6. cool

Гиперонимы

Гипонимы

Родственные слова

Ближайшее родство
существительные: gayness, gaiety, gaydom, gayborhood, gaylord, gaywad, gayer, gaylord, gayboy, gayby, gaysian, gayphobia прилагательные: gaysome (устар.), gaylicious, gaytastic наречия: gayly

Этимология

От ??

Фразеологизмы и устойчивые сочетания

gay (существительное)

Морфологические и синтаксические свойства

ед. ч.	мн. ч.
gay	gays

gay

Существительное.

Корень: —.

Произношение

• МФА: ед. ч. [geɪ]  мн. ч. [geɪz]

Семантические свойства

Значение

1. гей, гомосексуал, гомосексуалист ◆ Отсутствует пример употребления (см. рекомендации).

Синонимы

1. homosexual; уничиж.: gaylord, fruit, fruitcake, queer, faggot, fag (амер.), nancy, nance, nancyboy, fairy, moffie (южно-афр.), poof, poofter, pole-smoker, bender, bumder, bummer, mary

Антонимы

1. hetero, heterosexual, straight

Гиперонимы

Гипонимы

Родственные слова

Ближайшее родство
существительные: gayness, gaiety, gaydom, gayborhood, gaylord, gaywad, gayer, gaylord, gayboy, gayby, gaysian, gayphobia прилагательные: gaysome (устар.), gaylicious, gaytastic наречия: gayly

Этимология

От ??

Фразеологизмы и устойчивые сочетания

gay (глагол)

Морфологические и синтаксические свойства

gay

Глагол.

Произношение

• МФА: [geɪ] 

Семантические свойства

Значение

1. устар., редк. делать счастливым или весёлым ◆ Отсутствует пример употребления (см. рекомендации).

Синонимы

1. happify

Антонимы

Гиперонимы

Гипонимы

Родственные слова

Ближайшее родство
существительные: gayness

Этимология

От ??

Фразеологизмы и устойчивые сочетания

Финский

Морфологические и синтаксические свойства

gay

Существительное.

Корень: —.

Произношение

Семантические свойства

Значение

1. гей, гомосексуалист ◆ Отсутствует пример употребления (см. рекомендации).

Синонимы

Антонимы

Гиперонимы

Гипонимы

Родственные слова

Ближайшее родство

Этимология

От ??

Фразеологизмы и устойчивые сочетания

Библиография

Для улучшения этой статьи желательно: Добавить описание морфемного состава с помощью {{морфо}} Добавить транскрипцию в секцию «Произношение» с помощью {{transcriptions}} Добавить пример словоупотребления для значения с помощью {{пример}} Добавить синонимы в секцию «Семантические свойства» Добавить гиперонимы в секцию «Семантические свойства» Добавить сведения об этимологии в секцию «Этимология»

существительное

- разг. «гомик», гомосексуалист (тж. a male gay)

прилагательное ↓

Словосочетания

the gayest of the spring flowers — самый яркий из всех весенних цветов  
a poet could not but be gay, in such a jocund company — Поэт не мог не быть веселым в такой жизнерадостной компании.  
a dress a bit too gay for her years — платье немного пёстрое для её возраста  
gay bird — любитель удовольствий; распутный человек; весельчак  
it is not the gay coat that — по одежке встречают  
gay-cat — жизнерадостный человек; активный человек; дамский угодник  
gay colors — яркие цвета  

Примеры с переводом

Возможные однокоренные слова

Формы слова

noun
ед. ч.(singular): gay
мн. ч.(plural): gays

adjective
срав. степ. (comparative): gayer
прев. степ. (superlative): gayest

Do you know what it means if someone is gay or a part of the LGBT community? Do you know the secondary definition of gay? This article will provide both definitions of the word gay and teach you how to use this word in a sentence appropriately. 

Keep reading to learn all about what it means to be gay!

What Does Gay Mean?

Dictionary states that the word gay has two definitions. The first and most common definition of the word gay is a sexual orientation in which someone is attracted to their own sex or gender. 

Usually, gay means a gay man or homosexual man, but the word gay can also be used as an umbrella term for all gay people, including a gay woman or nonbinary person. 

Gay also has a more archaic definition which means happy, merry, or lively. Using this definition might cause confusion for people. If you describe someone else as gay to explain that they’re happy, people might be under the impression that they are LGBTQ. Always make sure that you clarify and try to steer clear from using this definition of the word gay. 

The pronunciation of the word gay is ɡeɪ. The word gay also uses superlatives, which are gayer and gayest. The noun form of the word gay (meaning happy) is gaiety.

What Is the Etymology of Gay?

The original definition of the word gay entered Middle English as the word gai between 1275 and 1325. This word is of Germanic origin, from the Old French gai and the Old High German gāhi.

How Can We Use Gay in a Sentence?

Below, you will find many example sentences that contain the word gay. Never use the word gay to insult or disparage someone, and make sure that you only describe someone as gay if they have explicitly told you that you can. You would never want to out someone without their permission or knowledge. 

Example #1

The young woman was grateful to find support in the gay community when her family shunned her for being LGBT.

Example #2

We volunteer with gay and lesbian elders on the weekends and love hearing their stories about gay clubs in the 60s and 70s. It is sad to hear about how many friends they lost to AIDS.

Example #3

The person originally thought they were a gay man, but then they started questioning their gender identity and realized they were actually a transgender woman.

Example #4

We march in the streets in support of gay rights and for the people who came before us.

Example #5

The young woman realized her sexual attraction to women when she was in high school, but she was afraid of coming out because her family thought that gay life and the LGBTQ lifestyle were corrupt. In college, she learned that they were incorrect.

Example #6

The people at the gay bar were annoyed by the loud, straight bachelorette party.

Example #7

We went to the gay pride parade in June and had a great time.

What Are Translations of Gay?

To learn how to say the word gay in other languages besides the English language, you can use this list of translations of the word gay from Nice Translator. These translations are for the first definition of gay, meaning attracted to the same gender. 

• Norwegian: homofil
• Arabic: مثلي الجنس
• Romanian: gay
• Urdu: ہم جنس پرست
• Greek: γκέτος
• Portuguese (Portugal): gay
• Telugu: గే
• Serbian: геј
• German: Fröhlich
• Welsh: hoyw
• Amharic: ጋይ
• Dutch: gay
• Marathi: समलिंगी
• Icelandic: hommi
• Filipino: bakla
• Slovak: homosexuálny
• Bengali: সমকামী
• Basque: gauer
• Gujarati: લૈંગિક
• Italian: gay
• Malayalam: ഗെയ്
• Chinese (PRC): 同性恋
• Japanese: ゲイ
• Kannada: ಸಲಿಂಗಕಾಮಿ
• Malay: gay
• Korean: 게이
• Ukrainian: гей
• Slovenian: gej
• Indonesian: gay
• Latvian: gejs
• Russian: гей
• Turkish: eşcinsel
• Finnish: homo
• Danish: homoseksuel
• French: gay
• Estonian: gei
• Swahili: mashoga
• Spanish: gay
• Portuguese (Brazil): gay
• Bulgarian: Гей
• Catalan: gai
• Lithuanian: gėjus
• Hungarian: meleg
• Croatian: gay
• Hebrew: הומו
• Chinese (Taiwan): 同性戀
• Hindi: समलैंगिक
• Thai: เกย์
• Tamil: கே

What Are Synonyms of Gay?

You can use many words in place of the word gay, especially for the secondary definition of gay. If you want to use the word gay to mean happy, it is a better idea to use a synonym instead of the word gay so that people are not confused. 

Take a look at this list of synonyms of gay from Power Thesaurus.

• animated
• blissful
• bright
• bubbly
• buoyant
• carefree
• cheerful
• cheery
• chipper
• chirpy
• convivial
• debonair
• effervescent
• enjoyable
• festal
• festive
• flirty
• frolicsome
• glad
• gladsome
• gleeful
• happy
• high-spirited
• hilarious
• jocular
• jocund
• jolly
• jovial
• joyful
• joyous
• jubilant
• laughing
• lesbian
• light
• lighthearted
• lively
• merry
• mirthful
• peppy
• perky
• playful
• spirited
• sportive
• sprightly
• sunny
• vivacious
• vivid

What Are Antonyms of Gay?

Power Thesaurus also lists several antonyms of the second definition of the word gay.

• agitated
• angry
• annoyed
• antsy
• anxious
• apprehensive
• bothered
• concerned
• confused
• dejected
• depressed
• desolate
• despondent
• disconcerted
• disquieted
• distraught
• distressed
• disturbed
• down
• downcast
• edgy
• excited
• flustered
• gloomy
• glum
• hurt
• jittery
• jumpy
• melancholy
• miserable
• nervous
• overwrought
• perturbed
• restless
• sad
• saddened
• sorrowful
• tense
• troubled
• uneasy
• unhappy
• unnerved
• unquiet
• unsettled
• uptight
• worried

Conclusion

The word gay is usually used to describe a person who is attracted to the same sex or gender. In past decades, the word gay used to mean happy or cheerful. Nowadays, people might get confused if you use the word gay to mean happy, so it is a good idea to use a synonym of the word gay instead.

Sources:

Gay synonyms – 1 827 Words and Phrases for Gay | Power Thesaurus 

Gay antonyms – 424 Opposites of Gay | Power Thesaurus 

Gay | Nice Translator 

Gay Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com