gay

proper noun Gays

1. An English surname transferred from the nickname, originally a nickname for a cheerful or lively person.
2. A female given name from English, from the word gay (“joyful”); rare today.
3. A male given name from English. "Mr Gay Brawls. What a name." "It didn't use to mean what it means now. Plenty were named Gay. Even in Nevada. Was old Gay Pitch had a gas station in Winnemucca. Nobody thought nothin about it and he raised a railroad car of kids.
4. A male given name transferred from the surname.
5. A diminutive of the male given names Gaylord and Gabriel, and similar names - - - my father's father, Gaetano Talese (whose name I inherited after my birth in 1932, in the anglicized form "Gay"), was an atypically fearless traveler,

adjective gayer · gayest

1. of a person Only possessing sexual and/or romantic attraction towards people one perceives to be the same sex or gender as oneself. Cliff is gay, but his twin brother is straight.
2. Of a man, only romantically and/or sexually attracted to other men. gay and lesbian people
3. broadly, of an animal Tending to partner or mate with other individuals of the same sex. In fact, as several letter writers to the New York Times pointed out in their response to the article, the disjuncture between these two popularized penguins shows how radically separated from each other are communities of gay people and communities of right-wing religious conservatives: if the Chri
4. of a romantic or sexual act or relationship Between two or more persons perceived to be of the same sex or gender as each other. Although the number of gay weddings has increased significantly, many gay and lesbian couples — like many straight couples — are not interested in getting married.
5. colloquial Not heterosexual, or not cisgender: homosexual, bisexual, asexual, transgender, etc.

   Similar: queer

6. of an institution or group Intended for gay people, especially gay men. She professes an undying love for gay bars and gay movies, and even admits to having watched gay porn.
7. slang, with for Homosexually in love with someone. […] the pirates, who are obviously totally gay for each other […]
8. humorous, slang, with for Infatuated with something, aligning with homosexual stereotypes. Vanilla straight guy here. […] Is it socially acceptable for me to good-naturedly say, "I'm totally gay for musical theater"?
9. broadly, of appearance or behavior Being in accordance with stereotypes of gay people, especially gay men.
10. broadly, of a person Exhibiting appearance or behavior that accords with stereotypes of gay people, especially gay men. This incident has become a source of much discussion, and the jury is still out on who is more gay: the guy who touched a dick or the guy who let a guy touch his dick.
11. derogatory, pejorative, slang Flamboyant or effeminate in behavior.
12. derogatory, pejorative, slang Used to express dislike: lame, uncool, stupid, burdensome, contemptible, generally bad. This game is gay; let’s play a different one.

    Similar: ghey

13. dated Happy, joyful, and lively. The Gay Science
14. dated Quick, fast. I went a gay shack, / For it started to rain.
15. dated Festive, bright, or colourful. Pennsylvania Dutch include the plain folk and the gay folk.
16. obsolete, of animates as well as inanimates Fair, beautiful, pretty, bonny; elegant, fine. Thy purse and eke thy gay guilt kniues, thy pincase gallant to the eie: No better wore the Burgesse wiues, and yet thou wouldst not loue me.
17. obsolete Sexually promiscuous (of any gender), (sometimes particularly) engaged in prostitution. As our heroes passed along the Strand, they were accosted by a hundred gay ladies, who asked them if they were good-natured. "Devil take me!" exclaimed Echo, "if I know which way my ship heads; but there is not a girl in the Strand that I would touch with my gloves on."
18. of a dog's tail Upright or curved over the back. While the dog in concentrating at a given task, the tail is carried low and used for balance. In excitement it may rise level with the back. A “gay” tail is a fault.
19. Northern England, Scotland, obsolete, possibly Considerable, great, large in number, size, or degree. In this sense, also in the variant gey. As his reply was rather characteristic, I will give it : Many of them come a gay bit off.

Similar: homosexual

noun gays

1. in plural A homosexual, especially a male homosexual. [headline] N.Y. Gays: Will the Spark Die?
2. derogatory, informal, ironic, often Gayness: the quality of being gay. Anti-gay persecution holds that you can pray the gay out of a person, or scare it out of them, or cajole it out of them.
3. dialectal, obsolete Something which is bright or colorful, such as a picture or a flower. At a stall soon Mary bote / A hume-book full ov gays.
4. obsolete An ornament, a knick-knack. Look upon precepts in emblems, as they do to upon gays and pictures.

Similar: homosexual person and Thesaurus:male homosexual

verb gays · gaying · gayed

1. dated, transitive, uncommon To make happy or cheerful. SAYING GOOD-BYE (song) WE are always saying / "Good-bye, good-bye! / In work, in playing, / In gloom, in gaying […]
2. transitive, uncommon To cause (something, e.g. AIDS) to be associated with homosexual people.

adverb

1. Northern England, Scotland Considerably, very. And, tho' his guts ware lank and toom, / They're twice as big's this gay big room.

noun gays

1. The letter —, which stands for the sound /ɡ/, in Pitman shorthand.