History of the Word “Gay” | WETA

Contents:

• THE ORIGS OF THE WORD ‘GAY’
• HISTORY OF THE WORD “GAY”
• HISTORY OF THE WORD "GAY"

THE ORIGS OF THE WORD ‘GAY’

It’s Pri Month and one of the most lourful words the English language – wh more makeovers than Madonna and more dramatic life stori than Liza Mnelli – is the word ‘gay’! Like every hero, ‘gay’ has an orig story, but even today, scholars are disagreement over the precise journey took to reach the level of fame (or famy) mands nowadays. ‘Gay’ was Germanic before cid to go all French and fancy.

HISTORY OF THE WORD “GAY”

The prevailg theory is that ‘gay’ me om Old Germanic, origally soundg like ‘gahi’, which meant ‘fast’ or ‘quick.

HISTORY OF THE WORD "GAY"

Sometime between the 11th and late 15th centuri, ‘gai’ crossed the English Channel and end up as ‘gay’, but kept s French meangs – ‘cheerful’, ‘happy’, ‘merry’, and ‘lively’. In The Canterbury Tal, Geofey Chcer wrote, “Why is my neighebor wyf so gay?