gai

Forms

gai (feminine gaie, masculine plural gais, feminine plural gaies)^[1] Old French also had the form jai in the 13th century.^[2][3] Anglo-Norman spellings include gay, gaye and wai.^[4]

Etymology

The origin is disputed.^[2][5] Bloch and Wartburg, the Grand Robert and the DHLF take it as borrowed from Old Occitan gai (“lively, merry”), a word of the troubadours' vocabulary, which is recorded earlier than the French word;^[6][7][5] the Occitan word in turn is usually traced to Gothic *𐌲𐌰𐌷𐌴𐌹𐍃 (*gaheis, “impetuous”), related to Old High German gāhi (“impetuous, sudden”) and modern German jäh (“abrupt”).^[6][2][1] The FEW places the word under the Gothic form and explains the Occitan route by the influence of the troubadours.^[8][2] The TLFi and the DHLF think it more probable that the word came straight from the Old High German word, which accounts for the 13th-century form jai;^[2][5] the prevailing ⟨g⟩ is put down to constant interference with gaillard.^[2][9]

P. Guiraud, noting that the idea of freedom is stronger than that of impetuosity in many old uses (in heraldry, of a horse without bridle or harness), proposed instead a popular outcome of Latin vagus (“wandering, unrestrained”), without excluding Germanic influence;^[5][7] Wiktionary cites Liberman for the Latin view as well, which would make the word a doublet of vague³.^[1] Littré mentioned, only to set it aside, the name Latin Gaius.^[10]

Italian gaio was borrowed from French,^[6][9] as was English gay, from Old French in the late 14th century.^[11]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLFi's first record is from the second half of the 11th century, of a person in a cheerful mood or a face that shows gaiety;^[2] Wace uses it about 1155.^[2] The Anglo-Norman Dictionary has it from 1155, meaning “happy, cheerful”.^[4]

Semantic evolution

From people, gai passed to things that show or inspire gaiety (about 1300): a temps gai is pleasant weather (about 1225), and vert gai a light, yellowish green (about 1300).^[2][5] Cotgrave records the sense “tipsy” in 1611, whence avoir le vin gai “to be a cheerful drinker” (Académie 1740) and être un peu gai (Voltaire, 1775).^[3][5] In Belgian French a personne gaie is amusing, pleasant company.^[5]

In the 1960s gai took over the American English sense of gay “homosexual”, competing with the English form gay.^[5][12] The proverbial gai comme un pinson “very cheerful” is recorded by Littré.^[10][12]

Timeline

• 1050-1100 – First recorded, of a cheerful person or face.^[2][5]
• c. 1155 – Wace uses it in the Roman de Brut.^[2][4]
• c. 1225 – Tens gais “pleasant weather” in Durmart le Gallois.^[2]
• c. 1300 – Vert gay “light green” in Taillevent's Viandier.^[2]
• late 14th century – English borrows gay from Old French.^[11]
• 1611 – Cotgrave records the sense “tipsy”.^[3][5]
• 1740 – The Académie records avoir le vin gai.^[3][5]
• 1960s – It takes on the sense “homosexual” after American English.^[5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Cheerful, merry, in good spirits: gai comme un pinson.^[12][13]
2. Slightly tipsy: être un peu gai, avoir le vin gai.^[12][13]
3. Of things: showing or full of gaiety, lively: une soirée gaie.^[12]
4. Inspiring gaiety, bright and pleasant: une chambre gaie.^[12][3]
5. (ironic) Annoying, unpleasant: c'est gai !.^[12]
6. (dated) risqué, a little free: des propos un peu gais.^[12]
7. gay, homosexual (a French spelling of gay).^[12][1]

Interjection

1. (dated) An exclamation of cheerfulness: gai, gai !.^[12]

Word family

• égayer
• gaiement
• gaieté

Related words

• gaillard
• English gay

Usage notes

Le gai savoir names the poetry of the troubadours, and is the French title of a work by Nietzsche.^[12] In heraldry a cheval gai is a horse shown without bridle or harness.^[10][5]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b c Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
8. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 16, 6b
9. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
10. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
11. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
13. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)