gig

English Online Dictionary. What means gig‎? What does gig mean?

Translingual

Symbol

gig

1. (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Goaria.

See also

• Wiktionary's coverage of Goaria terms

English

Etymology 1

The etymology of the noun is unknown, but compare Old French gigue (“a fiddle”). The verb is derived from the noun.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: gĭg, IPA^(key): /ɡɪɡ/
• Rhymes: -ɪɡ

Noun

gig (plural gigs) (informal)

1. Originally (music), a performing engagement by a musician or musical group; (by extension, film, television, theater) a job or role for a performer.

2. (by extension) Any job, especially one that is freelance or temporary, or done on an on-demand basis.
3. (US, military) A demerit received for some infraction of a military deportment or dress code.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

gig (third-person singular simple present gigs, present participle gigging, simple past and past participle gigged) (informal)

1. (transitive)
   1. (music) To play (a musical instrument) at a gig.
   2. (US, military) To impose a demerit (on someone) for an infraction of a military deportment or dress code.

2. (intransitive)
   1. (film, music, television, theater) To engage in a musical performance, act in a theatre production, etc.

   2. (by extension) To work at any job, especially one that is freelance or temporary, or done on an on-demand basis.

Derived terms

• gigging (noun)

Translations

Etymology 2

Sense 1 is a clipping of gigabyte, while sense 2 is a clipping of giga- (prefix multiplying the unit to which it is attached by one billion).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: gĭg, jĭg, IPA^(key): /ɡɪɡ/, /d͡ʒɪɡ/
• (one pronunciation)
• Homophone: jig (one pronunciation)
• Rhymes: -ɪɡ

Noun

gig (plural gig or gigs)

1. (informal, computing) Clipping of gigabyte (“one billion (1,000,000,000) bytes”).
2. (slang, chiefly sciences) Any unit of measurement having the SI prefix giga-.

Translations

Etymology 3

The noun is derived from Middle English gigg, gigge, gygge (“spinning object; a top”); further origin uncertain, possibly:

• from Old Norse [Term?] (compare Danish gig (“a top”), dialectal Norwegian giga (“to shake about”)), from Proto-Germanic *gīganą (“to move, wish, desire”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeyǵʰ-, *gʰeygʰ- (“to yawn, gape, long for, desire”); or
• ultimately onomatopoeic.

Senses 2–4 are thought to derive from sense 1 (“whipping-top”), but their exact relationship is unclear.

The verb is derived from the noun.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: gĭg, IPA^(key): /ɡɪɡ/
• Rhymes: -ɪɡ

Noun

gig (plural gigs)

1. (obsolete) A top which is made to spin by tying a piece of string around it and then throwing it so that the string unwinds rapidly; a whipping-top.
2. (chiefly British, school slang (Eton College), archaic or dialectal) A person with an odd appearance; also, a foolish person.
3. Senses relating to enjoyment.
   1. (slang, archaic or British, dialectal) Fun; frolics.
   2. (obsolete) A fanciful impulse; a whim; also, a joke.
4. Senses relating to vehicles.
   1. (nautical)
      2. A small, narrow, open boat carried in a larger ship, and used for transportation between the ship and the shore, another vessel, etc.
      3. (Southern England, by extension) A similar rowing boat or sailboat, especially one used for racing; specifically, a six-oared sea rowing boat commonly found in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
   2. (road transport, historical) A two-wheeled carriage drawn by a single horse.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

gig (third-person singular simple present gigs, present participle gigging, simple past and past participle gigged)

1. (transitive) To make a joke, often condescendingly, at the expense of (someone); to make fun of.

2. (intransitive) Sometimes followed by it: to ride in a gig (“a two-wheeled carriage drawn by a single horse”).

Translations

Etymology 4

From Middle English gig, gigge, gegge, possibly either:

• from Old French gigue (“tall, skinny girl”) (modern French gigue), from Old Norse gikkr (“pert person”) (related to Danish gjæk (“fool, jester”), Swedish gäck (“fool, jester; a wag”); see also geck); or
• from Middle English gigg, gigge, gygge (“spinning object; a top”) (see etymology 3).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: gĭg, IPA^(key): /ɡɪɡ/
• Rhymes: -ɪɡ

Noun

gig (plural gigs)

1. (obsolete) A frivolous, playful, or wanton young woman; a giglet or giglot.

   Synonym: fizgig

Etymology 5

The noun is derived from a clipping of fishgig, fizgig, possibly from Spanish fisga (“harpoon”).

The verb is derived from the noun.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: gĭg, IPA^(key): /ɡɪɡ/
• Rhymes: -ɪɡ

Noun

gig (plural gigs)

1. (fishing) Synonym of fishgig or fizgig (“a spear with a barb on the end of it, used for catching fish, frogs, or other small animals”).

Translations

Verb

gig (third-person singular simple present gigs, present participle gigging, simple past and past participle gigged) (fishing)

1. (transitive) To spear (fish, etc.) with a gig or fizgig.
2. (intransitive) To catch or fish with a gig or fizgig.

Derived terms

• gigger
• gigging (noun)

Translations

References

Further reading

• gigabyte on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• gig (boat) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• gig (carriage) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• gig worker on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• gig (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “gig”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

See also

• sheela-na-gig (etymologically unrelated)

Anagrams

• IgG, igg

Sumerian

Romanization

gig

1. Romanization of 𒍼 (gig)

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from English gig.

Noun

gig n

1. a gig (concert)

   Synonyms: spelning, framträdande

Declension

References

• gig in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• gig in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)

Welsh

Noun

gig

1. Soft mutation of cig (“meat”).

Mutation

Zhuang

Pronunciation

• (Standard Zhuang) IPA^(key): /kik˧/
• Tone numbers: gig⁸
• Hyphenation: gig

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Chinese 極 (MC gik).

Adverb

gig (Sawndip form 亟, 1957–1982 spelling gig)

1. extremely; highly; very

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Chinese 激 (MC kek).

Verb

gig (1957–1982 spelling gig)

1. to provoke; to agitate