• Original language: English
  • Original form and meaning: gig¹ - 1.) 'a one-horse carriage', 2.) 'a rowing-boat', +3.) 'part of a sailboard's rigging'; gig² - 4.) 'an engagement of an entertainer, esp. of musicians, usu. for a single appearance' [+ stands for additional meanings that are not English in origin (semantic pseudo-anglicisms)]


(Note: If the status is not specifically indicated then the word is stylistically neutral and generally used; if earlier meaning and status equals current use the former may be expressed by writing "dito". Cf. also the project guidelines.)


Language Form Date of Borrowing (and Obsolescence) Current Meaning and Status Earlier Meanings and Statusses Source
Catalan ... ... '...' '...' ...
Croatian gig beg20c only gig¹ known: meaning 2; status: archaic DEA*
Czech ... ... '...' '...' ...
Danish ... ... '...' '...' ...
Dutch gig¹: gik (meaning 1) [ɤix] and giek (meaning 2) [ɤik];

gig²: gig [= Engl. pron.]

gik: beg20c; giek: mid19c ; gig: 1990s meaning 1: restricted to technical use, archaic; meaning 2: restricted to technical use; meaning 4: restricted to youth language DEA*
English gig¹/gig² [gıg] gig¹ from M.E. ghyg 'spinning top' (15c), in the sense of 'flighty girl' perhaps from O.N. geiga 'turn sideways' or Dan. gig 'spinning top'; gig² of unknown origin meanings 1, 2 and 4; 5(dial.) 'fun, glee', 6 (dial.) 'odd person, fool' (18c), 7 'a machine for raising a nap on cloth' (16c); general notion of 'light or quick movement' 'flighty girl' (13c), 'whipping-top' (15c), 'fancy, whim' (16c) CODEE**; Collins English Dictionary (4th ed.); Etymonline [1]
Estonian ... ... '...' '...' ...
Finnish gig¹: not known;

gig²: not known; native equivalent keikka

- - - DEA*
French gig¹: gig [= Engl. pron.] gig¹: 1940s gig¹: meaning 1 and 2, but obsolete DEA*
Frisian ... ... '...' '...' ...
German gig¹: Gig (fem./neut.) [= Engl. pron.]

gig²: Gig (masc.) [= Engl. pron.]

gig¹: end19c; gig²: 1970s gig¹: meaning 1, status: archaic; meaning 2, status: restricted to technical use

gig²: meaning 4, status: restricted to technical use

DEA*
Hungarian gig¹: gig [gig] gig¹: beg19c meaning 1, status: not (or no longer) recognized as English, archaic; meaning 2, status: restricted to technical use DEA*
Irish ... ... '...' '...' ...
Italian ... ... '...' '...' ...
Latvian ... ... '...' '...' ...
Lithuanian ... ... '...' '...' ...
Maltese ... ... '...' '...' ...
Norwegian gig¹: gigg [= Engl. pron.];

gig²: gig [= Engl. pron.]

gig¹: mid19c; gig²: 1980s gig¹: meaning 1, status: restricted use, archaic

gig²: meaning 4, status: restricted to technical use

DEA*
Polish gig¹: gig [-k] gig¹: beg20c gig¹: meaning 1, status: restricted use, archaic; meaning 2, status: restricted to technical use DEA*
Portuguese ... ... '...' '...' ...
Rumantsch ... ... '...' '...' ...
Slovak ... ... '...' '...' ...
Slovenian ... ... '...' '...' ...
Spanish ... ... '...' '...' ...
Swedish ... ... '...' '...' ...
  • Annotations: *DEA = Dictionary of European Anglicisms by Manfred Görlach (2001), Oxford: OUP.; CODEE** = The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology by T.F. Hoad (1986), Oxford: Clarendon.
Information on Other Languages
edit
  • Romanian: gig¹: gig [dʒig], end19c: meaning 1, status: fully accepted but still marked as English, archaic/technical; 1940s: meaning 2, status: fully accepted but still marked as English, technical.
  • Russian: gig¹: gig, beg20c, meaning 2, status: restricted to technical use.
  • Bulgarian: gig¹: gig, mid20c, meaning +3, status: restricted to technical use; gig²: gig, 1980s, meaning 4, status: restricted to technical use.
  • Greek: gig²: gig, end20c, meaning 4, status: restricted to technical use. *Icelandic: gig²: gig [cık:], 1970s, meaning 4, status: restricted to slang.,