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Etymology of the word "GAY"

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TonyZ
Active Ink Slinger
When did the word "GAY" cease to mean "HAPPY"? I will never forget that the theme song of the Flingstones finishes by saying "You'll have a gay old time." When and why did the word "GAY" change its original meaning to a person that likes another person of their same gender?

By the way, I am lucky that I fit both definitions of the same word smile
sprite
Her Royal Spriteness
it STILL means happy to me!

You can’t truly call yourself peaceful unless you are capable of violence. If you’re not capable of violence, you’re not peaceful. You’re harmless.
Liz
Scarlet Seductress
Quote by sprite
it STILL means happy to me!


You're totally gay!
dpw
Active Ink Slinger
Started out life as bright and showy back in 13c, by 18c it had come to mean lewd and lacivious. About this time prostitutes were called gays and gay boys were the male prostitutes, in the late 19c they were called gay cats in USA, probably street boys that would do anything for money. 1920's homosexuals refered to themselves as gay, in the original meaning of bright and showy. The use of it meaning prostitute was by then in decline. The homosexual meaning entered the Oxford English Dictionary(the bible of the English language over here) in the mid 1950's. Although other meanings still exist, the primary useage now is homosexual.
TonyZ
Active Ink Slinger
Quote by sprite
it STILL means happy to me!


I, just like Sprite, will always have a GAY old time ;)
TonyZ
Active Ink Slinger
Quote by dpw
Started out life as bright and showy back in 13c, by 18c it had come to mean lewd and lacivious. About this time prostitutes were called gays and gay boys were the male prostitutes, in the late 19c they were called gay cats in USA, probably street boys that would do anything for money. 1920's homosexuals refered to themselves as gay, in the original meaning of bright and showy. The use of it meaning prostitute was by then in decline. The homosexual meaning entered the Oxford English Dictionary(the bible of the English language over here) in the mid 1950's. Although other meanings still exist, the primary useage now is homosexual.


Thank you for the explanation. It was very informative and interesting