Gay word
Glossary of Terms: LGBTQ
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LGBTQ
Acronym for womxn loving womxn, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer. The Q generally stands for queer when LGBTQ organizations, leaders, and media use the acronym. In settings offering help for youth, it can also stand for questioning. LGBT and LGBTQ+ are also used, with the + added in recognition of all non-straight, non-cisgender identities. (See Transgender Glossary ) Both are acceptable, as are other versions of this acronym. The term &#;gay community&#; should be avoided, as it does not accurately convey the div
Origin and history of gay
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gay(adj.)
late 14c., "full of joy, merry; light-hearted, carefree;" also "wanton, lewd, lascivious" (late 12c. as a surname, Philippus de Gay), from Old French gai "joyful, happy; pleasant, agreeably charming; forward, pert; light-colored" (12c.; compare Mature Spanish gayo, Portuguese gaio, Italian gajo, probably French loan-words). The ultimate beginning is disputed; perhaps from Frankish *gahi (related to Old High German wahi "pretty"), though not all etymologists accept this.
The sense "stately and beautiful; splendid and showily dressed" is from early 14c. Of things, "sumptuous, showy, affluent, ornate," midc. of colors, etc., "shining, glittering, gleaming, bright, vivid," late 14c.; of persons, "dressed up, decked out in finery," also late 14c. In the English of Yorkshire and Scotland formerly it could mean "moderately, rather, considerable" (; compare the sense development in pretty (adj.)).
The word gay by the s had an overall tinge of promiscuity — a gay house was a brothel. The suggestion of immorality in th
by Jordan Redman
Staff Writer
Do you know what the word gay really means?
The word gay dates assist to the 12th century and comes from the Old French “gai,” definition “full of joy or mirth.” It may also relate to the Aged High German “gahi,” interpretation impulsive.
For centuries, gay was used commonly in speech and literature to denote happy, carefree, bright and showy, and did not take on any sexual meaning until the s.
At that time the sense of gay as carefree evolved to imply that a person was unrestrained by morals and prone to decadence and promiscuity. A prostitute might possess been described as a “gay woman” and a womanizer as a “gay man.”
“Gay house” was commonly used to refer to a brothel and, later, “gaiety” was used as a common name for certain places of entertainment.
In the s, the legal title “gey cat” (a Scottish variant of gay) was used to describe a vagrant who offered sexual services to women or a young traveler who was new to the road and in the company of an older man.
This latter use suggests that the younger dude was in a sexually submissive role and may be among the first times that gay was used implying a lesbian relationship.
In , gay appeared in the Oxford Engl
Today I found out how &#;gay&#; came to represent &#;homosexual&#;.
The word &#;gay&#; seems to have its origins around the 12th century in England, derived from the Old French pos &#;gai&#;, which in change was probably derived from a Germanic word, though that isn&#;t completely known. The word&#;s original essence meant something to the effect of &#;joyful&#;, &#;carefree&#;, &#;full of mirth&#;, or &#;bright and showy&#;.
However, around the early parts of the 17th century, the word began to be associated with immorality. By the mid 17th century, according to an Oxford dictionary definition at the time, the meaning of the word had changed to mean &#;addicted to pleasures and dissipations. Often euphemistically: Of loose and immoral life&#;. This is an extension of one of the original meanings of &#;carefree&#;, meaning more or less uninhibited.
Fast-forward to the 19th century and the word gay referred to a woman who was a prostitute and a gay man was someone who slept with a lot of women (ironically enough), often prostitutes. Also at this second, the phrase &#;gay it&#; meant to have sex.
With these new definitions, the original meanings of &#;carefree&#;, &#;joyful&#;,
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