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gypsy

Pronunciation: /ˈdʒɪpsi/

(also gipsy)
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Definition of gypsy

noun (plural gypsies)

  • 1 (usually Gypsy) a member of a travelling people with dark skin and hair, traditionally living by itinerant trade and fortune telling. Gypsies speak a language (Romany) that is related to Hindi and are believed to have originated in South Asia.
  • 2 informal a nomadic or free-spirited person:why should she choose to wander the world with a penniless gypsy like me?

Derivatives

gypsyish

adjective

Origin:

mid 16th century: originally gipcyan, short for Egyptian (because Gypsies were popularly supposed to have come from Egypt)

Spelling help

Gypsy can also be spelled Gipsy, with an i: both are correct.

gypsy in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of gypsy in the US English dictionary

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