Gypsy Meaning
/ˈd͡ʒɪp.si/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAlternative form of Gypsy (“member of the Romani people”).
nounAn itinerant person or any person, not necessarily Romani; a tinker, a traveller or a carny.
Sentence Examples
I sing Gypsy songs.
One gypsy family with their caravan was encamped.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ traveled from town to town with a colorful caravan.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ moth is considered to be a serious forest pest because its hungry caterpillars can defoliate entire trees.
Word Origin & History
See Gypsy. Compare bohemian, from Bohemia.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"It was at this town of Badajoz, the capital of Estremadura, that I first fell in with those singular people, the Zincali, Gitanos, or Spanish gypsies."
— 1843, George Borrow, The Bible in Spain, London: Cassell and Company, Ltd.:
"He championed the music of the gypsies as he did the Muslim and Jewish roots of Spanish culture. […] All these and more were fused in the forge of the gypsy experience into a singular art form, unlike any of its sources, evoking its own worldview, its own existential stance."
— 2010 February 5, Mike Marqusee, “Flamenco's humane roots”, in The Guardian:
"Like a right gypsy, hath, at fast and loose, Beguiled me to the very heart of loss."
— c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene vii]:
"The rest of the day is spent out of doors "Gypsying", and families greatly enjoy themselves on these occasions."
— 1885, Richard F. Burton, chapter XX, in The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, volume I, The Burton Club, page 199 footnote:
"Look at the person you're gypsying with, and convey the message that you notice them as a person and that you're glad that they're there, […]"
— 1992 April 7, win...@ssrl01.slac.stanford.edu, “contra-gypsies”, in rec.folk-dancing (Usenet):
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ traveled from town to town with a colorful caravan.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ moth is considered to be a serious forest pest because its hungry caterpillars can defoliate entire trees.