2007-02-23 03:36:50 · 13 answers · asked by webmaster 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
gay= happy person
gay= men who love sex with men
2007-02-23 03:43:51 · answer #1 · answered by answergroo 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The meaning that the word GAY had for centuries been- - - jolly, full of fun, life of the party, etc.
Some of those terms were associated with the decade 1880-1890. This decade became known as the Gay Ninties.
For the same reason Paris, France is known as Gay Paris, pronounced Gay Paree.
Recently the word gay became associated with homosexuals. It's being used in that sense so much that the genuine meaning of the word is just about lost.
2007-02-23 12:10:16 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Originally, and still occasionally (but rarely), "gay" meant carefree, giddy, merry, light-hearted, vivacious -- often with a connotation of frivolity or superficiality, and sometimes with an implied connotation of licentiousness.
For a century or two, and now the predominant usage, "gay" means "attracted sexually or romantically to others of the same sex as oneself" -- especially pertaining to males. This usage is now almost completely mainstream, although technical and scientific journals still tend to use older and more clinical terms like "homosexual" / "homophilic" or "same-sex orientation".
By natural extension, the term is very often used attributively to mean "relating to gay people". For example, a "gay bar" isn't one that has a sexual attraction for bars of the same sex; it's a bar that is associated with gay people. Likewise with the term "gay marriage", which arguably ought to be called "same-sex marriage"; in this case, the gay sexual orientation of the partners is not a prerequisite, but a strong presumption.
A new meaning has arisen recently (within the last decade or so) wherein "gay" is used as a pejorative slang adjective expressing a feeling of judgmental disdain, much as the slang adjectives "lame" and "retarded" have been used in the same way.
2007-02-23 12:56:57 · answer #3 · answered by Joe S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The old fashioned meaning of the word is "happy". In school, we had to read Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer aloud in class. The entire classroom would errupt in laughter whenever the teacher read that Tom was having a "gay ole time".
Today's most common meaning of the word gay is homosexual. It means when a man romantically likes another man.
2007-02-23 17:45:37 · answer #4 · answered by Squeegee Beckingheim :-) 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In addition to all the other definitions, the word "gay" also tends to be used (mostly by teenagers) to describe a person or situation that is stupid or unjust. For example, "That guy is so gay." Meaning, not that he is a homosexual, but that he is being stupid or annoying. "The teacher gave you a C?? That's gay." Again, the situation is unjust or dumb.
This is obviously not the "correct" definition, but it is the definition for the colloquial use of the word.
2007-02-23 12:09:22 · answer #5 · answered by surfchika 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
This word is a great example how usage can change over time and why dictionaries have to change constantly. Gay used to mean happy, colourful, joyous but has changed to mean homosexuality. Another couple of examples: cock used to mean a male rooster but now a slang/rude name for = penis.... pussy used to mean simply a cat but now it's slang/rude name for = vagina.... pot used to mean only a cooking utensil but now has a dual meaning - pot for cooking or pot = marijuana...This phenomenon is not only found in the English language but in all languages and it's the way a language evolves.
2007-02-23 12:12:19 · answer #6 · answered by Just Me 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
1. having or showing a merry, lively mood: gay spirits; gay music.
2. bright or showy: gay colors; gay ornaments.
3. given to or abounding in social or other pleasures: a gay social season.
4. homosexual
2007-02-23 12:51:07 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Happy
2007-02-23 11:39:51 · answer #8 · answered by joeya52 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Gay means to be Happy and Lighthearted. This is its correct usage.
2007-02-23 12:03:53 · answer #9 · answered by Lindsay Jane 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends really as from what I know there are 3 different versions of what this means.
1 - Happy
2 - Homosexual
3 - A term that homosexual men use to refer to themselves,
its an acronym for Good As You.
Hope that helps
2007-02-23 12:02:01 · answer #10 · answered by Nicky Blunt 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
there are several meanings of gay:
1. homosexual: homosexual in sexual orientation
2. merry: full of light-heartedness and merriment
3. bright in colour: brightly coloured
4. carefree: having or showing a carefree spirit
5. debauched: leading a debauched or dissolute life
2007-02-23 11:45:36 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋