gypsy

noun

1. (alt-of, alternative, offensive, sometimes)Alternative form of Gypsy (“member of the Romani people”).

   “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.”

   “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.”

2. (colloquial)An itinerant person or any person, not necessarily Romani; a tinker, a traveller or a carny.

   “Like a right gypsy, hath, at fast and loose, Beguiled me to the very heart of loss.”

3. (offensive, sometimes)A move in contra dancing in which two dancers walk in a circle around each other while maintaining eye contact (but not touching as in a swing). (Compare whole gyp, half gyp, and gypsy meltdown, in which this step precedes a swing.)
4. A member of a Broadway musical chorus line.
5. (dated)A person with a dark complexion.
6. (dated)A sly, roguish woman.
7. (colloquial, dated)A fortune teller.
8. (offensive, sometimes)A whitewashed South Asian.
9. (offensive, sometimes)A member of the Romani people, or one of the sub-groups (Roma, Sinti, Romanichal, etc).
10. A member of other nomadic peoples, not only of the Romani people; a traveller. Alternative spelling of gypsy.

adj

1. (alt-of, alternative, not-comparable)Alternative form of Gypsy: of or belonging to the Rom, Dom or Lom people.
2. (not-comparable, offensive)Of or having the qualities of an itinerant person or group with qualities traditionally ascribed to Romani people; making a living from dishonest practices or theft etc.
3. (not-comparable, offensive, sometimes)Of or belonging to the Romani people or one of it sub-groups (Roma, Sinti, Romanichel, etc).

verb

1. (intransitive)To roam around the country like a gypsy.

   “The rest of the day is spent out of doors "Gypsying", and families greatly enjoy themselves on these occasions.”

2. To perform the gypsy step in contra dancing.

   “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, […]”

   “The only one I know of is The Tease by Tom Hinds which starts with the actives gypsying and then swinging their neighbors and ends with contra […]”

name

1. (offensive, rare, sometimes)The language Romani.
2. A female given name.

   “"Why, good afternoon, Miss Gypsy," said Sir Simms; "I'm surprised to see you such a warm day — very much surprised. But you always were a remarkable young lady ..."”