"A Gay Cat," said he, "is a loafing laborer, who works maybe a week, gets his wages and vagabonds about hunting for another 'pick and shovel' job. The association with (male) homosexuality likely got a boost from the term gay cat, used as far back as 1893 in American English for "young hobo," one who is new on the road, also one who sometimes does jobs. He always wished others would make advances to him. He was not happy at the farm and went to a Western city where he associated with a homosexual crowd, being "gay," and wearing female clothes and makeup. Slang meaning "homosexual" (adj.) begins to appear in psychological writing late 1940s, evidently picked up from gay slang and not always easily distinguished from the older sense:Īfter discharge A.Z. The suggestion of immorality in the word can be traced back at least to the 1630s, if not to Chaucer: But in oure bed he was so fressh and gay Whan that he wolde han my bele chose. The word gay by the 1890s had an overall tinge of promiscuity - a gay house was a brothel. In the English of Yorkshire and Scotland formerly it could mean "moderately, rather, considerable" (1796 compare sense development in pretty (adj.)). of persons, "dressed up, decked out in finery," late 14c. of colors, etc., "shining, glittering, gleaming, bright, vivid," late 14c.
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Of things, "sumptuous, showy, rich, ornate," mid-14c. Meaning "stately and beautiful splendid and showily dressed" is from early 14c.
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Ultimate origin disputed perhaps from Frankish *gahi (related to Old High German wahi "pretty"), though not all etymologists accept this. compare Old Spanish gayo, Portuguese gaio, Italian gajo, probably French loan-words). as a surname, Philippus de Gay), from Old French gai "joyful, happy pleasant, agreeably charming forward, pert light-colored" (12c. Late 14c., "full of joy, merry light-hearted, carefree " also "wanton, lewd, lascivious" (late 12c.