Gypsy

[jip-see]

See more synonyms for Gypsy on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural Gyp·sies.

a member of a nomadic, Caucasoid people of generally swarthy complexion, who migrated originally from India, settling in various parts of Asia, Europe, and, most recently, North America.
Romany; the language of the Gypsies.
(lowercase) a person held to resemble a gypsy, especially in physical characteristics or in a traditionally ascribed freedom or inclination to move from place to place.

(lowercase) Informal. gypsy cab.
(lowercase) Informal. an independent, usually nonunion trucker, hauler, operator, etc.
(lowercase) Slang. a chorus dancer, especially in the Broadway theater.
(lowercase) gyp¹(def 4).

adjective

of or relating to the Gypsies.
(lowercase) Informal. working independently or without a license: gypsy truckers.

Also especially British, Gipsy, gipsy.

Origin of Gypsy

1505–15; back formation of gipcyan, aphetic variant of Egyptian, from a belief that Gypsies came originally from Egypt

Related formsgyp·sy·dom, noungyp·sy·esque, gyp·sy·ish, gyp·sy·like, gyp·se·ian, adjectivegyp·sy·hood, noungyp·sy·ism, nounnon-Gyp·sy, noun, plural non-Gyp·sies.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for gypsies

nomad, bohemian, vagrant, sharper, roamer, tzigane, zingara, zingaro

Examples from the Web for gypsies

Contemporary Examples of gypsies

The 200 other Roma, known pejoratively as “gypsies,” had fled the camp by Monday, police told French media.
France Decries Attack That Left Roma Teen in a Coma
Lizzie Crocker
June 18, 2014
In Europe today, walls are going up everywhere to keep the Roma, also known as ‘gypsies’, firmly shut out.
Roma Children Face Segregation In EU Schools
Amana Fontanella-Khan
March 8, 2014
It begins: “The gypsies are coming, the old people say, To buy little children and take them away.”
American Gypsies Are a Persecuted Minority That Is Starting to Fight Back
Nina Strochlic
December 22, 2013
"I've no time for the Roma gypsies," said one who was cleaning his car.
Blonde Child Reunited With Roma Family After Irish Police Blunder
Tom Sykes
October 23, 2013
Sometimes he snuck out to watch the gypsies down by the tracks, or to walk through the cemetery, sit on a grave.
If You’re Hunting for Forrest Fenn’s Buried Treasure, Start Here
Tony Doukopil
March 1, 2013

Historical Examples of gypsies

"I guess they think we're gypsies," said Hattie, as one carriage rolled past.
Meadow Grass
Alice Brown
Jack Nuffles—I met him here tonight—says they are gypsies—where are they, I wonder?
The Room in the Dragon Volant
J. Sheridan LeFanu
Like the gypsies of old, but with vastly more territory to roam.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, November, 1930
Various
It was about the gypsies, who camp near our place every year.
St. Nicholas Magazine for Boys and Girls, Vol. V, August, 1878, No 10.
Various
What number of Gypsies are there computed to be in the county?
A Historical Survey of the Customs, Habits, & Present State of the Gypsies
John Hoyland

British Dictionary definitions for gypsies

Gypsy

Gipsy

noun plural -sies (sometimes not capital)

1. a member of a people scattered throughout Europe and North America, who maintain a nomadic way of life in industrialized societies. They migrated from NW India from about the 9th century onwards
2. (as modifier)a Gypsy fortune-teller
the language of the Gypsies; Romany
a person who looks or behaves like a Gypsy

Derived FormsGypsydom or Gipsydom, nounGypsyhood or Gipsyhood, nounGypsyish or Gipsyish, adjectiveGypsy-like or Gipsy-like, adjective

Word Origin for Gypsy

C16: from Egyptian, since they were thought to have come originally from Egypt

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

Word Origin and History for gypsies

Gypsy

also gipsy, c.1600, alteration of gypcian, a worn-down Middle English dialectal form of egypcien "Egyptian," from the supposed origin of these people. As an adjective, from 1620s.

Cognate with Spanish Gitano and close in sense to Turkish and Arabic Kipti "gypsy," literally "Coptic;" but in Middle French they were Bohémien (see bohemian), and in Spanish also Flamenco "from Flanders." "The gipsies seem doomed to be associated with countries with which they have nothing to do" [Weekley]. Zingari, the Italian and German name, is of unknown origin. Romany is from the people's own language, a plural adjective form of rom "man." Gipsy is the prefered spelling in England.

gypsies in Culture

Gypsies

A nomadic people who originated in the region between India and Iran and who migrated to Europe in the fourteenth or fifteenth century. Most now live in Europe and the United States. Their language is called Romany. Thousands were murdered in the holocaust.

Note

One who lives a footloose, carefree life is sometimes called a gypsy.