Dictionary

gigolo en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• (Received-Pronunciation)
• (General-American)
• /ˈd͡ʒɪɡ.ə.loʊ/ (General-American)
• /ˈd͡ʒɪɡ.ə.ləʊ/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

First attested in English in 1922. From French gigolo (“young lover kept by an older woman”), first attested in that sense in 1904 (attested since 1850 in the sense “Amant de cœur, compagnon d'une gigolette", and since 1894 in the sense “elegant young man whose means of livelihood are dubious”), a back-formation from gigolette (“promiscuous dancing girl, girl available for hire as a dancing partner”), attested since 1850, from giguer (“to dance”), from gigue (“fiddle; type of dance; jig”). More at jig.

Meanings

1. A man funded by women who find him attractive, particularly
   • How's the, uh, gigolo campaign going? 1972, Jay Presson Allen, Cabaret, spoken by Brian Roberts (Michael York):
2. (dated) A man funded by women who find him attractive, particularly ▸ A hired escort or dancing partner.
   • I'm just a gigolo / And everywhere I go / People know the part I'm playin' / Paid for every dance / Sellin' each romance / Ooh, what they're sayin' 1929, “Just a Gigolo”, Irving Caesar (lyrics), Leonello Casucci (music):
3. A man funded by women who find him attractive, particularly ▸ A male prostitute with female clients.

Forms

Descendants

جغل

Hypernyms

prostitute · sexual partner · lover

Hyponyms

homowhore · kept man · Valentino · gigolo

Synonyms

male prostitute

Translations (84)

fr gigolo (male having sexual relationships for money) · fr gigolo (hired escort or dancing partner) · pl żigolo (hired escort or dancing partner) · sv gigolo (hired escort or dancing partner) · hu selyemfiú (male having sexual relationships for money) · cs prostitut (male having sexual relationships for money) · hu hímringyó (male having sexual relationships for money) · es gigoló (hired escort or dancing partner) · sv manshora (male having sexual relationships for money) · ca gigoló (male having sexual relationships for money) · pt gigolô (male having sexual relationships for money) · pl żigolak (hired escort or dancing partner) · ar عَاهِر (male having sexual relationships for money) · ru альфо́нс (male having sexual relationships for money) · nl escort (hired escort or dancing partner) · cs gigolo (hired escort or dancing partner) · fi miesprostituoitu (male having sexual relationships for money) · ja ダンスパートナー専門の男 (hired escort or dancing partner) · tr jigolo (hired escort or dancing partner) · ar دَاعِر (hired escort or dancing partner) · cmn 面首 (male having sexual relationships for money) · pl utrzymanek (male having sexual relationships for money) · ro gigolo (male having sexual relationships for money) · fa ژیگولو (male having sexual relationships for money) · ar زَانِيّ (male having sexual relationships for money) · ja 男娼 (male having sexual relationships for money) · eo amoristo (male having sexual relationships for money) · pt garoto de programa (male having sexual relationships for money) · ja エスコート (hired escort or dancing partner) · ja ジゴロ (male having sexual relationships for money) · hu dzsigoló (male having sexual relationships for money) · de Stricher (male having sexual relationships for money) · pl żigolo (male having sexual relationships for money) · tr jigolo (male having sexual relationships for money) · cmn 舞男 (hired escort or dancing partner) · ru жи́голо (hired escort or dancing partner) · nl manhoer (male having sexual relationships for money) · ru жи́голо (male having sexual relationships for money) · ka ალფონსი (male having sexual relationships for money) · cmn 男妓 (male having sexual relationships for money) · pt acompanhante (hired escort or dancing partner) · ko 남창 (male having sexual relationships for money) · de Gigolo (hired escort or dancing partner) · ar بَغِيّ (hired escort or dancing partner) · cmn 男娼 (male having sexual relationships for money) · ar عَاهِر (male having sexual relationships for money) · sv gigolo (male having sexual relationships for money) · vi kĩ nam (male having sexual relationships for money) · vi trai bao (male having sexual relationships for money) · ru ха́стлер (male having sexual relationships for money) · yue 鴨 /鸭 (male having sexual relationships for money) · fi gigolo (male having sexual relationships for money) · de Gigolo (male having sexual relationships for money) · bg жиголо (male having sexual relationships for money) · ru проститу́т (male having sexual relationships for money) · it accompagnatore (hired escort or dancing partner) · ar زَانِيّ (hired escort or dancing partner) · ar بَغِيّ (male having sexual relationships for money) · ar فَاحِش (male having sexual relationships for money) · ar فَاحِش (male having sexual relationships for money) · tr tokmakçı (male having sexual relationships for money) · fr prostitué (male having sexual relationships for money) · it gigolò (male having sexual relationships for money) · es gigoló (male having sexual relationships for money) · tr tutma erkek (hired escort or dancing partner) · it ballerino (hired escort or dancing partner) · ka მეძავი კაცი (male having sexual relationships for money) · it mantenuto (male having sexual relationships for money) · ka ჟიგოლო (male having sexual relationships for money) · tr tokmakçı (hired escort or dancing partner) · fa ژیگولو (hired escort or dancing partner) · cs gigolo (male having sexual relationships for money) · nl gigolo (male having sexual relationships for money) · es saltimpanqui (male having sexual relationships for money) · ar عَاهِر (hired escort or dancing partner) · ka ჟიგოლო (hired escort or dancing partner) · pl fordanser (hired escort or dancing partner) · es puto (male having sexual relationships for money) · hu dzsigoló (hired escort or dancing partner) · fi seuralainen (hired escort or dancing partner) · ar دَاعِر (male having sexual relationships for money) · ar فَاحِش (hired escort or dancing partner) · cmn 妓男 (male having sexual relationships for money) · fi rattopoika (male having sexual relationships for money)

gigolo en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• (Received-Pronunciation)
• (General-American)
• /ˈd͡ʒɪɡ.ə.loʊ/ (General-American)
• /ˈd͡ʒɪɡ.ə.ləʊ/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

First attested in English in 1922. From French gigolo (“young lover kept by an older woman”), first attested in that sense in 1904 (attested since 1850 in the sense “Amant de cœur, compagnon d'une gigolette", and since 1894 in the sense “elegant young man whose means of livelihood are dubious”), a back-formation from gigolette (“promiscuous dancing girl, girl available for hire as a dancing partner”), attested since 1850, from giguer (“to dance”), from gigue (“fiddle; type of dance; jig”). More at jig.

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To work or act as a gigolo.
   • He says he worked at one thing and another, whatever he could get, but near as I can figure out he was mostly gigoloing, and not finding too many heavy-money dames. 1933, Dashiel Hammett, chapter 11, in The Thin Man:
   • Since my arrival I’d lost seventeen pounds. What with gigoloing all night, working all day, worrying myself flaming sick, I’d had enough. 1988, John Grant (as Jonathan Gash), chapter 30, in Jade Woman, page 221:
   • ‘[…] [He was s]electing paintings to be forged, supplying canvases and materials, scripting out the fake papers, while you gigoloed with every woman in town and beyond, getting them to paint or deal or buy these fricking pieces, these masterfully detailed fakes!’ 2009, Amrita Chowdhury, Faking It, page 286:
2. (transitive) To provide (someone) with the services of a gigolo.
   • The beach wasn’t crowded yet, and as far as I could tell, there were no gigolos or women waiting to be gigoloed. 2008, Liz Tuccillo, How to Be Single, page 247:
   • He sat down at my table in an outdoor trattoria to gigolo me and promptly forgot his lines and went blank. 1982, Tom McHale, chapter 20, in Dear Friends, page 217:
3. (reflexive, transitive) To offer (oneself or someone else) to someone as a gigolo.
   • It might be a joke on the rest of the world; it was also a joke on himself, that he had gigoloed himself to such scurfy stuff. 1931, Samuel Roth, chapter 21, in The Private Life of Frank Harris, page 257:
   • What would have happened just then I do not know, if Mr. Vertigo had not appeared with the family collie, whom he had gigoloed to Carl Schurz Park. 1968, MacKinlay Kantor, The Day I Met a Lion, page 33:

Forms