Gig meaning of the word

See also: Gig

English[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

The etymology of the noun is unknown, but compare Old French gigue (“a fiddle”).^[1] The verb is derived from the noun.^[2]

Pronunciation[edit]

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: gĭg, IPA^(key): /ɡɪɡ/
• Rhymes: -ɪɡ

Noun[edit]

gig (plural gigs) (informal)

1. Originally (music), a performing engagement by a musician or musical group; (by extension, film, television, theater) a job or role for a performer.

   I caught one of the Rolling Stones’ first gigs in Richmond.

   Hey, when are we gonna get that hotel gig again?

2. (by extension) Any job, especially one that is freelance or temporary, or done on an on-demand basis.

   I had this gig as a file clerk but it wasn’t my style so I left.

   That guy’s got a great gig over at the bike shop. He hardly works all day.

   • 2014 July 24, R. Z. Aklat, “Introduction”, in Become a Freelance Translator, [S.l.]: R. Z. Aklat, →ISBN:

     Whether you want to have some occasional translation gigs or turn freelance translating into your fulltime occupation, you’ll need to know some essential things […]

   • 2016 January 11, Geoffrey Nunberg, “Fresh Air: Goodbye Jobs, Hello ‘Gigs’: How One Word Sums Up a New Economic Reality”, in NPR‎^[1], archived from the original on 13 February 2022:

     In recent decades, «gig» has become just a hip term for any temporary job or stint, with the implication you’re not particularly invested in it. I think of the barista or bookstore clerk who responds to my questions with a look that says, «Hey, man, it’s a gig. I don’t really DO this?» That tone of insouciance has made «the gig economy» the predominant name for what’s being touted as the industrial revolution of our times.

3. (US, military) A demerit received for some infraction of a military deportment or dress code.

   I received gigs for having buttons of my uniform undone.

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

gig (third-person singular simple present gigs, present participle gigging, simple past and past participle gigged) (informal)

1. (transitive)
   1. (music) To play (a musical instrument) at a gig.
   2. (US, military) To impose a demerit (on someone) for an infraction of a military deportment or dress code.

      His sergeant gigged him for an unmade bunk.

2. (intransitive)
   1. (film, music, television, theater) To engage in a musical performance, act in a theatre production, etc.

      The Rolling Stones were gigging around Richmond at the time.

   2. (by extension) To work at any job, especially one that is freelance or temporary, or done on an on-demand basis.

Derived terms[edit]

• gigging (noun)

Translations[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Sense 1 is a clipping of gigabyte,^[3] while sense 2 is a clipping of giga- (prefix multiplying the unit to which it is attached by one billion).

Pronunciation[edit]

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: gĭg, jĭg, IPA^(key): /ɡɪɡ/, /d͡ʒɪɡ/
• (one pronunciation)
• Homophone: jig (one pronunciation)
• Rhymes: -ɪɡ

Noun[edit]

gig (plural gig or gigs)

1. (informal, computing) Clipping of gigabyte (“one billion (1,000,000,000) bytes”).

   This picture is almost a gig; don’t you want to resize it?

   My new computer has over 500 gigs of hard drive space.

   • 2003, IT Professional’s Guide to E-mail Administration, CNET Networks Inc., →ISBN, page 88:

     The restore would get through between 13 and 20 gigs of data, and then the tape would fail.

2. (slang, chiefly sciences) Any unit of measurement having the SI prefix giga-.

Translations[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

The noun is derived from Middle English gigg, gigge, gygge (“spinning object; a top”); further origin uncertain, possibly:

• from Old Norse [Term?] (compare Danish gig (“a top”), dialectal Norwegian giga (“to shake about”)), from Proto-Germanic *gīganą (“to move, wish, desire”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeyǵʰ-, *gʰeygʰ- (“to yawn, gape, long for, desire”);^[4] or
• ultimately onomatopoeic.^[5]

Senses 2–4 are thought to derive from sense 1 (“whipping-top”),^[6] but their exact relationship is unclear.

The verb is derived from the noun.^[7]

Pronunciation[edit]

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: gĭg, IPA^(key): /ɡɪɡ/
• Rhymes: -ɪɡ

Noun[edit]

gig (plural gigs)

1. (obsolete) A top which is made to spin by tying a piece of string around it and then throwing it so that the string unwinds rapidly; a whipping-top.

   • c. 1595–1596 (date written), W. Shakespere [i.e., William Shakespeare], A Pleasant Conceited Comedie Called, Loues Labors Lost. […] (First Quarto), London: […] W[illiam] W[hite] for Cut[h]bert Burby, published 1598, →OCLC; republished as Shakspere’s Loves Labours Lost (Shakspere-Quarto Facsimiles; no. 5), London: W[illiam] Griggs, […], [1880], →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:

     Peda[nt]. Thou diſputes like an Infant: goe vvhip thy Gigg. / Pag[e]. Lende me your Horne to make one, and I vvill vvhip about your Infamie vnũ cita a gigge of a Cuckolds horne.

     Pedant [i.e., Holofernes]. You argue like an infant: go whip your gig. / Page. Lend me your horn to make one, and I will whip about your infamy, [vnũ cita is unclear; perhaps an error for vidcit = videlicet, «namely»], a gig of a cuckold’s horn.

   • 1695, [John Locke], “§130”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education. […], 3rd edition, London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], →OCLC, page 241:

     Play-things vvhich are above their [children’s] Skill to make; as Tops, Gigs, Battledors, and the like, vvhich are to be uſed vvith labour, ſhould indeed be procur’d them: Theſe ’tis convenient they ſhould have, not for Variety, but Exerciſe.

   • 1782, William Cowper, “Hope”, in Poems, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], →OCLC, page 151:

     From infancy through childhood’s giddy maze, / Frovvard at ſchool, and fretful in his plays, / The puny tyrant burns to ſubjugate / The free republic of the vvhip-gig ſtate.

2. (chiefly Britain, school slang (Eton College), archaic or dialectal) A person with an odd appearance; also, a foolish person.
3. Senses relating to enjoyment.
   1. (slang, archaic or Britain, dialectal) Fun; frolics.

      • 1820, Richard Ranger, “Randall; a Fragment. With Notes”, in Jack Randall’s Diary of Proceedings at the House of Call for Genius. […], London: […] [J. Brettell] for W[illiam] Simpkin and R[ichard] Marshall, […], →OCLC, page 62:

        Such was his toil, when one night coming home, / Such swell uncivil, who’d been out to roam / In search of lark, or some delicious gig / The mind delights in, when ’tis in prime twig,—

   2. (obsolete) A fanciful impulse; a whim; also, a joke.

      • 1619, John Fletcher, “The Humorous Lieutenant”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, →OCLC, Act IV, scene iv, page 141, column 1:

        I muſt goe ſee him preſently, / For this is ſuch a gig: for certaine Gentlemen / The Fiend rides on a Fiddleſticke.

4. Senses relating to vehicles.
   1. (nautical)
      2. A small, narrow, open boat carried in a larger ship, and used for transportation between the ship and the shore, another vessel, etc.

         • 1850, Herman Melville, “The Frigate in Harbour—The Boats—Grand State Reception of the Commodore”, in White Jacket; or, The World in a Man-of-War, volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 254:

           She [a frigate] also carried a Commodore’s Barge, a Captain’s Gig, and a «dingy,» a small yawl, with a crew of apprentice boys. […] Above all, the officers see to it that the Commodore’s Barge and the Captain’s Gig are manned by gentlemanly youths, who do credit to their country, and form agreeable objects for the eyes of the Commodore or Captain to repose upon as he tranquilly sits in the stern, when pulled ashore by his barge-men or gig-men, as the case may be.
      3. (Southern England, by extension) A similar rowing boat or sailboat, especially one used for racing; specifically, a six-oared sea rowing boat commonly found in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
   2. (road transport, historical) A two-wheeled carriage drawn by a single horse.
      • 1837 July​, Nathaniel Hawthorne, “[Tales and Sketches.] Fragments from the Journal of a Solitary Man.”, in The Dolliver Romance, and Other Pieces, Boston, Mass.: James R[ipley] Osgood and Company, late Ticknor & Fields, and Fields, Osgood, & Co., published 1876, →OCLC, section I, page 84:

        Here a coach thundered over the pavement, and there an unwieldy omnibus, with spruce gigs rattling past, and horsemen prancing through all the bustle.

      • 1854, Arthur Pendennis [pseudonym; William Makepeace Thackeray], “Clive’s Uncles”, in The Newcomes: Memoirs of a Most Respectable Family, volume I, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], →OCLC, page 51:

        [W]hen he was gone (in the carriage, mind you, not in the gig driven by the groom), I am sure Mrs. Newcome would have written a letter that night to Her Grace the Duchess Dowager, his mamma, full of praise of the dear child, his graciousness, his beauty, and his wit, and declaring that she must love him henceforth and for ever after as a son of her own.

      • 1967, William Styron, “Judgment Day”, in The Confessions of Nat Turner, New York, N.Y.: Random House, →OCLC, page 77:

        [T]he room grew stifling warm and vapor clung to the windowpanes, blurring the throng of people still milling outside the courthouse, a row of tethered gigs and buggies, distant pine trees in a scrawny, ragged grove.

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

gig (third-person singular simple present gigs, present participle gigging, simple past and past participle gigged)

1. (transitive) To make a joke, often condescendingly, at the expense of (someone); to make fun of.

   His older cousin was just gigging him about being in love with that girl from school.

2. (intransitive) Sometimes followed by it: to ride in a gig (“a two-wheeled carriage drawn by a single horse”).

Translations[edit]

Etymology 4[edit]

From Middle English gig, gigge, gegge,^[8] possibly either:

• from Old French gigue (“tall, skinny girl”) (modern French gigue),^[8] from Old Norse gikkr (“pert person”) (related to Danish gjæk (“fool, jester”), Swedish gäck (“fool, jester; a wag”); see also geck); or
• from Middle English gigg, gigge, gygge (“spinning object; a top”) (see etymology 3).^[5][9]

Pronunciation[edit]

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: gĭg, IPA^(key): /ɡɪɡ/
• Rhymes: -ɪɡ

Noun[edit]

gig (plural gigs)

1. (obsolete) A frivolous, playful, or wanton young woman; a giglet or giglot.

   Synonym: fizgig

Etymology 5[edit]

The noun is derived from a clipping of fishgig, fizgig,^[10] possibly from Spanish fisga (“harpoon”).

The verb is derived from the noun.^[11]

Pronunciation[edit]

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: gĭg, IPA^(key): /ɡɪɡ/
• Rhymes: -ɪɡ

Noun[edit]

gig (plural gigs)

1. (fishing) Synonym of fishgig or fizgig (“a spear with a barb on the end of it, used for catching fish, frogs, or other small animals”).

Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

gig (third-person singular simple present gigs, present participle gigging, simple past and past participle gigged) (fishing)

1. (transitive) To spear (fish, etc.) with a gig or fizgig.
2. (intransitive) To catch or fish with a gig or fizgig.

Derived terms[edit]

• gigger
• gigging (noun)

Translations[edit]

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

See also[edit]

• sheela-na-gig (etymologically unrelated)

Anagrams[edit]

• IgG, igg

Sumerian[edit]

Romanization[edit]

gig

1. Romanization of 𒍼 (gig)

Welsh[edit]

Noun[edit]

gig

1. Soft mutation of cig (“meat”).

Mutation[edit]

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
cig	gig	nghig	chig
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Zhuang[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• (Standard Zhuang) IPA^(key): /kik˧/
• Tone numbers: gig⁸
• Hyphenation: gig

Etymology 1[edit]

Borrowed from Chinese 極 (MC ɡɨk̚).

Adverb[edit]

gig (Sawndip form 亟, 1957–1982 spelling gig)

1. extremely; highly; very

Etymology 2[edit]

Borrowed from Chinese 激 (MC kek̚).

Verb[edit]

gig (1957–1982 spelling gig)

1. to provoke; to agitate

кабриолет, двуколка, гичка, острога, ловить рыбу острогой, бить острогой

существительное ↓

глагол

- ездить в кабриолете, двуколке
- плыть в гичке
- текст. ворсить
- бить рыбу острогой
- двигаться вперёд и назад

Словосочетания

live gig — живой концерт  
to do / play a gig — дать концерт  
gig machine — шишечная ворсовальная машина  
captain’s gig — командирский катер  
cutter-gig — катер-гичка  
fish-gig — багор с крючком  
gig conveyor — подъёмник  
gig tackle — шлюп-тали  
gig trench — копать канаву  
gig work — тренировочная гребля на гичке  

Примеры с переводом

Возможные однокоренные слова

giggly  — любящий посмеяться, смешливый

Формы слова

verb
I/you/we/they: gig
he/she/it: gigs
ing ф. (present participle): gigging
2-я ф. (past tense): gigged
3-я ф. (past participle): gigged

noun
ед. ч.(singular): gig
мн. ч.(plural): gigs

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘gig.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Suggestions

She had another gig this week.

У неё ещё один концерт на этой неделе.

After what Cook said at your gig.

После того, что Кук заявил на ваш концерт.

You guys played one gig four years ago.

У вас, ребята, было одно выступление четыре года назад.

The final gig will take place on October 2nd in Stavanger, where it all began.

Последнее выступление будет 2 октября в Stavanger’e, в том месте, где все началось.

A gig is a gig, is a gig, is a gig.

The gig was performed live in a studio with a very small, awfully quite and polite audience.

Живой концерт проходил в студии с небольшим количеством очень тихих и вежливых зрителей.

It took me a month of planning and the night before the gig I couldn’t sleep.

Это отнимало много времени, а ночью накануне выступления мне не удавалось уснуть.

Or perhaps a collection of funny tweets could land you a gig writing jokes for late night talk shows.

Или Возможно, коллекция забавных твитов может дать вам шутки для написания концертов поздними вечерами.

I was fortunate to get my first real gig in the music industry 6 weeks after graduating University.

Мне повезло получить мой первый настоящий концерт в музыкальной индустрии через 6 недель после окончания университета.

I was quite unprepared when 6,000 fans were waiting for us at the airport in Memphis for the first gig.

Я был совершенно не готов, когда 6000 фанатов ожидали нас в аэропорту в Мемфисе для первого концерта.

The band played its first gig together in 1970, and shared an apartment in Boston.

Группа отыграла свой первый концерт вместе в 1970 году и делила квартиру в Бостоне.

Discuss the gig, get concert tickets, see who’s attending, find similar events.

Обсудить концерт, найти билеты, посмотреть, кто еще идет, поискать похожие события.Описание.

The Yardbirds played their final gig in July 1968.

The Yardbirds сыграли свой последний концерт в июле 1968 и разошлись.

Let’s say you buy a gig that promises a link from the Huffington Post for $99.

Допустим, вы покупаете концерт, который обещает ссылку от Huffington Post за 99 долларов.

Corea’s first major professional gig was with Cab Calloway.

Первый крупный профессиональной концерт Чик Кориа сыграл с Кэбом Кэлоуэем (СаЬ Calloway).

His first gig was at the children’s Christmas Festival Lucia, when Staffan was only 6 years old.

Его первое выступление состоялось на детском рождественском фестивале Lucia, когда Стеффану исполнилось всего 6 лет.

In 1991 re-grouped X-Ray Spex played a surprise sell-out gig at the Brixton Academy.

В 1991 году ‘X-Ray Spex’ вновь собрались ради концерта в Брикстонской академии (Brixton Academy).

Brian’s first gig with Paul was at the 2002 Super Bowl in New Orleans.

Первое выступление Брайана с Полом состоялось в 2002 году во время розыгрыша Супер Кубка в Новом Орлеане.

Also, other things happened at the St. Louis gig that I wasn’t told about until two days after the gig.

Да вообще-то много еще чего было на концерте в Сент-Луисе, чего я не должен говорить спустя всего два дня после выступления.

NIGHTWISH mainman Tuomas Holopainen is extremely pleased with the addition of singer Floor Jansen to the group and feels that she is only getting better gig by gig.

Лидер NIGHTWISH Туомас Холопайнен безумно доволен присоединению к группе Флор Янсен и считает, что от концерта к концерту она становится только лучше.

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