Meaning & use
gipsy
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableBritishold-fashioned
A member of a traveling ethnic group originally from South Asia, now living in many countries; also the older British spelling of "gypsy."
Grammar: Countable: one gipsy, two gipsies. The plural is spelled "gipsies" with -ies.
Patterns
- a gipsy family
- gipsy music
- gipsy caravan
Her grandmother was a gipsy who traveled around the countryside in a painted wagon.
The old British spelling "gipsy" still appears in some historical books and place names.
He played gipsy music on the violin at the village festival.
adjectivebefore a nounBritishold-fashioned
Belonging to or connected with the Roma people or their traditional way of life, especially in the older British spelling.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: a gipsy caravan, gipsy customs. Not used after a verb.
Patterns
- gipsy caravan
- gipsy culture
- gipsy tradition
They restored an old gipsy caravan and parked it in the garden.
The museum has a collection of gipsy crafts from the nineteenth century.
Word forms
| plural | gipsies |
|---|
Common combinations
- gipsy caravan
- A brightly painted gipsy caravan stood at the edge of the field.
- gipsy music
- The band played lively gipsy music with guitars and violins.
- gipsy moth
- The gipsy moth is a serious pest of forest trees in North America.
- gipsy rose
- She wore a gipsy rose behind her ear.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gypsy
- The modern and more common spelling of the same word; use this in everyday writing unless you are quoting older British texts.
- Roma
- The preferred term for the ethnic group in formal, neutral and respectful contexts; "gipsy" can sound dated or offensive.
- Romani
- The name of the language and a respectful adjective for the people; more specific than "gipsy."
- traveler
- In British English, often used for people who live a traveling lifestyle, without naming an ethnic group.
Word family
- gipsy noun
- The British spelling of the ethnic term; the American spelling is usually "gypsy."
Commonly confused: gipsy or gypsy?
gipsy vs gypsy
The same word with a different spelling. "Gypsy" is standard in American English and increasingly in British English too.
Practice
Which sentence uses the older British spelling correctly?
Choose one answer.
"Gipsy" is the adjective/noun form used before another noun, and the plural noun is "gipsies." Option 1 is the only one with the correct singular attributive form; the others are misspellings or wrong possessive forms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gipsy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.