definitions
  • synonyms

Romany

[ rom-uh-nee, roh-muh- ]
/ ˈrɒm ə ni, ˈroʊ mə- /
|

noun, plural Rom·a·nies.

Gypsy(def 2).
Gypsies collectively.
the Indic language of the Gypsies, its various forms differing greatly because of local influences.

adjective

pertaining to Gypsies, their language, or their customs.
Also Rommany, Romani.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for romany

British Dictionary definitions for romany

Romany

Romani

/ (ˈrɒmənɪ, ˈrəʊ-) /

noun

plural -nies or -nis
  1. another name for a Gypsy
  2. (as modifier)Romany customs
the language of the Gypsies, belonging to the Indic branch of the Indo-European family, but incorporating extensive borrowings from local European languages. Most of its 250 000 speakers are bilingual. It is extinct in Britain

Word Origin for Romany

C19: from Romany romani (adj) Gypsy, ultimately from Sanskrit domba man of a low caste of musicians, of Dravidian origin
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 romany

Romany

n.

"a gypsy; the Gypsy language," 1812, romani, fem. of romano (adj.) "Gypsy," from rom, the Romany word for "man, husband, male, Gypsy" (plural roma), from Sanskrit domba-s ("with initial cerebral d, which confuses with r" [Klein]) "male member of a low caste of musicians."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper