gig
/ɡɪɡ/ noun, verb
Forms gigs gigging gigged
- noun Originally (music), a performing engagement by a musician or musical group; (by extension, film, television, theater) a job or role for a performer. “I caught one of the Rolling Stones’ first gigs in Richmond.”
- noun (by extension) Any job, especially one that is freelance or temporary, or done on an on-demand basis. “I had this gig as a file clerk but it wasn’t my style so I left.”
- noun (US, military) A demerit received for some infraction of a military deportment or dress code. “I received gigs for having buttons of my uniform undone.”
- verb (music) To play (a musical instrument) at a gig.
- verb (US, military) To impose a demerit (on someone) for an infraction of a military deportment or dress code. “His sergeant gigged him for an unmade bunk.”
- verb (film, music, television, theater) To engage in a musical performance, act in a theatre production, etc. “The Rolling Stones were gigging around Richmond at the time.”
- verb (by extension) To work at any job, especially one that is freelance or temporary, or done on an on-demand basis.
- noun (slang, chiefly sciences) Any unit of measurement having the SI prefix giga-.
- noun (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.
- noun (chiefly UK, school slang (Eton College), archaic or dialectal) A person with an odd appearance; also, a foolish person.
- noun (slang, archaic or UK, dialectal) Fun; frolics.
- noun (obsolete) A fanciful impulse; a whim; also, a joke.
- noun A small, narrow, open boat carried in a larger ship, and used for transportation between the ship and the shore, another vessel, etc.
- noun (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.
- noun (road transport, historical) A two-wheeled carriage drawn by a single horse.
- verb (transitive) To make a joke, often condescendingly, at the expense of (someone); to make fun of. “His older cousin was just gigging him about being in love with that girl from school.”
- verb (intransitive) Sometimes followed by it: to ride in a gig (“a two-wheeled carriage drawn by a single horse”).
- noun (obsolete) A frivolous, playful, or wanton young woman; a giglet or giglot.
- noun (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”).
- verb (transitive) To spear (fish, etc.) with a gig or fizgig.
Synonyms
Etymology
The etymology of the noun is unknown, but compare Old French gigue (“a fiddle”). The verb is derived from the noun.
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).
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
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.
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).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A fiddle. [Obs.]
- verb To engender. [Obs.] Dryden.
- noun A kind of spear or harpoon. See Fishgig.
- verb To fish with a gig.
Etymology [Cf. OF. gigue. See Jig, n.]
Etymology [Prob. fr. L. gignere to beget.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “gig”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details