gigolo

[ jig-uh-loh, zhig- ]

See synonyms for gigolo on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural gig·o·los.

a man living off the earnings or gifts of a woman, especially a younger man supported by an older woman in return for his sexual attentions and companionship.
a male professional dancing partner or escort.

Origin of gigolo

First recorded in 1920–25; from French, masculine derivative of gigole, gigolette “woman of the streets, of public dance halls,” probably ultimately from Middle French giguer “to frolic” (see jig²); cf. giglet, which may have influenced gigolette

Words Nearby gigolo

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gigolo in a sentence

As his marriage and finances disintegrated, he moved alone to Paris and supported himself as a gigolo while contributing to the satirical anarchist magazine Hara-Kiri.
Melvin Van Peebles, fiercely independent filmmaker, dies at 89 | Adam Bernstein | September 22, 2021 | Washington Post
John Turturro gave me a part in his movie [Fading gigolo], and I was happy to do it.
Woody Allen on ‘Magic in the Moonlight,’ the Crisis in Gaza, and Those Allegations | Marlow Stern | July 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The ex-bookmen negotiate a 60-40 split in favor of the gigolo, and a business is born.
Woody Allen Plays a Creepy Pimp in ‘Fading Gigolo’ and It’s Pretty Tough to Watch | Marlow Stern | March 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He sits on park benches scoping out rich middle-aged women for his gigolo.
Woody Allen Plays a Creepy Pimp in ‘Fading Gigolo’ and It’s Pretty Tough to Watch | Marlow Stern | March 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Moreau, however, actually pined over a Greek gigolo that was brought along on a trip with her and Richardson.
Richard Burton’s Sexy Diaries: 13 Juiciest Bits | Kevin Fallon | October 20, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST

Naturally, no decent French girl would have been allowed for a single moment to dance with a gigolo.
Gigolo | Edna Ferber
A very faint dull red crept suddenly over the pallor of the gigolo's face.
Gigolo | Edna Ferber
And the Mazzettis put but one interpretation upon a young woman who strolls into the soft darkness of the Promenade with a gigolo.
Gigolo | Edna Ferber
Orson J.'s fee, as he handed it to the gigolo, was the kind that mounted grandly into dollars instead of mere francs.
Gigolo | Edna Ferber
The nice-looking gigolo seemed to be in great demand, but Orson J. succeeded in capturing him after the third dance.
Gigolo | Edna Ferber

British Dictionary definitions for gigolo

gigolo

/ (ˈʒɪɡəˌləʊ) /

nounplural -los

a man who is kept by a woman, esp an older woman
a man who is paid to dance with or escort women

Origin of gigolo

C20: from French, back formation from gigolette girl for hire as a dancing partner, prostitute, from giguer to dance, from gigue a fiddle; compare gigot, gigue, jig

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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