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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

gaybait en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰengʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *ganhuzder. Old Occitan gaibor. Old French gaibor. Middle English gay English gay Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- Proto-Indo-European *-t Proto-Indo-European *bʰéydt Proto-Germanic *bītaną Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Germanic *-janą Proto-Germanic *baitijaną Old Norse beitabor. Middle English bayte English bait English gaybait From gay + bait (“something that allures”).

Meanings

  1. (slang, uncountable) A man who is attractive to other gay men.

Synonyms

queerbait

gaybait en · VERB · etymology 2

Pronunciation

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰengʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *ganhuzder. Old Occitan gaibor. Old French gaibor. Middle English gay English gay Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- Proto-Indo-European *-t Proto-Indo-European *bʰéydt Proto-Germanic *bītaną Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Germanic *-janą Proto-Germanic *baitijaną Old Norse beitabor. Middle English bayte English bait English -bait English gaybait From gay + -bait (manipulation to elicit a particular response).

Meanings

  1. (intransitive, slang, transitive) To harass or vilify someone for their real or imagined homosexuality.
    • Criticism of the sodomy law by successful gubernatorial candidate Ann Richards led to gay-baiting by her opponents, who claimed gay activists had named her an "honorary lesbian." 1990 December 16, David Morris, “Judge Strikes Down Texas Sodomy Law”, in Gay Community News, volume 18, number 22, page 15:
    • It’s possible, we suppose, that former Rep. Darrell Issa didn’t realize his TV ad attacking a GOP rival, Carl DeMaio, in the 50th Congressional District primary race could be seen as gay-baiting. The ad, ostensibly about DeMaio’s stance on immigration and President Trump, includes two gratuitous references to the fact that DeMaio is gay. 2020 January 29, “Editorial: Darrell Issa’s shameful gay-baiting attack ads are the worst kind of time warp”, in Los Angeles Times:
    • In addition to gay-baiting fascists and fascist-baiting homosexuals, currents of [Soviet] officialdom also used epithets of "effeminacy" and "effete" homosexuality to label elements of the old ruling class and to help build the image of the proletarian society and its soldiers as hypermasculine. 2004 October 7, Leslie Feinberg, “Can a homosexual be a member of the Communist Party?”, in Workers World:
  2. (slang, transitive) To seduce a heterosexual person into homosexual relations.
  3. (slang, transitive) To queerbait.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
gaybaits Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
gaybaiting Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
gaybaited Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
gaybaited Tense=Past lexicographic

Coordinates

redbait