Adjacent Words

Gypsy definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

GYP'SY, n. [See Gipsey.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a laborer who moves from place to place as demanded by employment; "itinerant traders" [syn: itinerant, gypsy, gipsy]
2: a member of a people with dark skin and hair who speak Romany and who traditionally live by seasonal work and fortunetelling; they are believed to have originated in northern India but now are living on all continents (but mostly in Europe, North Africa, and North America) [syn: Gypsy, Gipsy, Romany, Rommany, Romani, Roma, Bohemian]
3: the Indic language of the Gypsies [syn: Romany, Gypsy]

Merriam Webster's

intransitive verb (gypsied; gypsying) Date: circa 1627 to live or roam like a Gypsy

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural Gypsies) Etymology: by shortening & alteration from Egyptian Date: 1537 1. a member of a traditionally itinerant people who originated in northern India and now live chiefly in south and southwest Asia, Europe, and North America 2. Romany 2 3. not capitalized one that resembles a Gypsy; especially wanderer

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (also Gipsy) (pl. -ies) 1 a member of a nomadic people of Europe and N. America, of Hindu origin with dark skin and hair, and speaking a language related to Hindi. 2 (gypsy) a person resembling or living like a Gypsy. Phrases and idioms: gypsy moth a kind of tussock moth, Lymantria dispar, of which the larvae are very destructive to foliage. Derivatives: Gypsydom n. Gypsyfied adj. Gypsyhood n. Gypsyish adj. Etymology: earlier gipcyan, gipsen f. EGYPTIAN, from the supposed origin of Gypsies when they appeared in England in the early 16th c.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gypsy Gyp"sy, or Gipsy moth Gip"sy, moth . A tussock moth (Ocneria dispar) native of the Old World, but accidentally introduced into eastern Massachusetts about 1869, where its caterpillars have done great damage to fruit, shade, and forest trees of many kinds. The male gypsy moth is yellowish brown, the female white, and larger than the male. In both sexes the wings are marked by dark lines and a dark lunule. The caterpillars, when full-grown, have a grayish mottled appearance, with blue tubercles on the anterior and red tubercles on the posterior part of the body, all giving rise to long yellow and black hairs. They usually pupate in July and the moth appears in August. The eggs are laid on tree trunks, rocks, etc., and hatch in the spring.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gypsy Gyp"sy, n.; pl. Gypsies. [OE. Gypcyan, F. gyptien Egyptian, gypsy, L. Aegyptius. See Egyptian.] [Also spelled gipsy and gypsey.] 1. One of a vagabond race, whose tribes, coming originally from India, entered Europe in 14th or 15th centry, and are now scattered over Turkey, Russia, Hungary, Spain, England, etc., living by theft, fortune telling, horsejockeying, tinkering, etc. Cf. Bohemian, Romany. Like a right gypsy, hath, at fast and loose, Beguiled me to the very heart of loss. --Shak. 2. The language used by the gypsies. --Shak. 3. A dark-complexioned person. --Shak. 4. A cunning or crafty person [Collog.] --Prior.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gypsy Gyp"sy a. Pertaining to, or suitable for, gypsies. Gypsy hat, a woman's or child's broad-brimmed hat, usually of straw or felt. Gypsy winch, a small winch, which may be operated by a crank, or by a ratchet and pawl through a lever working up and down.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gypsy Gyp"sy, v. i. To play the gypsy; to picnic in the woods. Mostly. Gyp"sy*ing, vb. n.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

also gipsy(gypsies) A gypsy is a member of a race of people who travel from place to place, usually in caravans, rather than living in one place. N-COUNT • Gypsy is also an adjective. ...the largest gypsy community of any country. ADJ: usu ADJ n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Fortune-telling nomad. 2. Brunette (used in reproach). 3. Crafty man, crafty woman, cheat, wily one. 4. Gypsy language, Romany, chib, Romanes.