Gypsy
[ jip-see ]
/ ˈdʒɪp si /
noun, plural Gyp·sies.
adjective
of or relating to the Gypsies.
(lowercase) Informal. working independently or without a license: gypsy truckers.
Origin of Gypsy
1505–15; back formation of gipcyan, aphetic variant of Egyptian, from a belief that Gypsies came originally from Egypt
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for gypsies
I see the 'gypsies' are coming out in the Colonial, which will have a vast sale.
George Borrow and His Circle|Clement King Shorter
British Dictionary definitions for gypsies
Gypsy
Gipsy
/ (ˈdʒɪpsɪ) /
noun plural -sies (sometimes not capital)
- 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
- (as modifier)a Gypsy fortune-teller
the language of the Gypsies; Romany
a person who looks or behaves like a Gypsy
Derived Forms
Gypsydom or Gipsydom, nounGypsyhood or Gipsyhood, nounGypsyish or Gipsyish, adjectiveGypsy-like or Gipsy-like, adjectiveWord 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
Culture definitions for gypsies
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.