I. noun
or gip·sy ˈjipsē, -si
( -es )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: by shortening & alteration from Egyptian (II)
1. capitalized : one of a dark Caucasoid people coming originally from India and entering Europe in the 14th or 15th century that are now found chiefly in Turkey, Russia, Hungary, Spain, England, and the U.S., still maintain somewhat their itinerant life and tribal organization, and are noted as fortune-tellers, horse traders, metalworkers, and musicians
2. : one resembling a Gypsy especially in appearance, manners, or mode of life
dark of eye, tawny of skin, black as to her tangled hair, … a veritable gypsy of a child — Richard Free
oilmen … have been gypsies of the prairies, seeking, drilling, and never finding — Lamp
3. capitalized : romany 2
4. : a strong brown that is stronger and slightly yellower than average russet, deeper and slightly yellower than rust, and very slightly lighter than ginger — called also Caledonian brown
5. : an independent truck operator who has no regular route but hires his vehicle to others or follows seasonal or irregular sources of traffic
6. : gyp 4
7.
[by shortening]
a. : gypsyhead
b. : gypsy winch
II. intransitive verb
or gipsy “
( -ed/-ing/-es )
: to live or roam like a Gypsy