gigolo

See also: Appendix:Variations of "gigolo"

English

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.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɪɡ.ə.loʊ/ or /ˈʒɪɡ.loʊ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɪɡ.ə.ləʊ/ or /ˈʒɪɡ.ə.ləʊ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: gig‧o‧lo

Noun

gigolo (plural gigolos)

1. A man who has a sexual relationship with a woman from whom he receives payment; a prostitute.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:prostitute

2. A hired escort or dancing partner for a woman.
   • 1929, “Just a Gigolo”, Irving Caesar (lyrics), Leonello Casucci (music):

     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'

Descendants

• North Levantine Arabic: جغل (jagal)

Translations

male having sexual relationships for money

• Arabic: دَاعِر m (dāʕir), بَغِيّ m (baḡiyy), عَاهِر m (ʕāhir), زَانِيّ m (zāniyy), فَاحِش m (fāḥiš), عَاهِر f (ʕāhir), فَاحِش f (fāḥiš)
• Bulgarian: жиголо m (žigolo)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 鴨 / 鸭 (aap³)

  Mandarin: 面首 (zh) (miànshǒu), 男妓 (zh) (nánjì), 妓男 (zh) (jìnán), 男娼 (zh) (nánchāng)

• Czech: gigolo (cs) m, prostitut (cs) m
• Dutch: manhoer, gigolo (nl)
• Esperanto: amoristo
• Finnish: rattopoika (fi), miesprostituoitu, gigolo (fi)
• French: prostitué (fr) m, gigolo (fr)
• Georgian: ჟიგოლო (žigolo), მეძავი კაცი (meʒavi ḳaci), ალფონსი (alponsi)
• German: Gigolo (de) m, Stricher (de) m
• Hungarian: selyemfiú (hu), dzsigoló (hu), hímringyó (hu) (vulgar, derogatory)
• Italian: gigolò m, mantenuto (it) m
• Japanese: ジゴロ (jigoro), 男娼 (ja) (だんしょう, danshō)
• Korean: 남창 (ko) (namchang)
• Persian: ژیگولو (fa) (žigulu)
• Polish: żigolo (pl) m, utrzymanek (pl) m
• Portuguese: gigolô (pt) m, garoto de programa (pt) m
• Romanian: gigolo (ro) m
• Russian: жи́голо (ru) m (žígolo), проститу́т (ru) m (prostitút), ха́стлер (ru) m (xástler) (to other men, also), альфо́нс (ru) m (alʹfóns) (a lover who lives on woman's expense)
• Spanish: gigoló (es) m, puto (es) m, saltimpanqui m (Dominican Republic)
• Swedish: manshora (sv) c, gigolo (sv)
• Turkish: jigolo (tr), tokmakçı (tr)
• Vietnamese: kĩ nam

hired escort or dancing partner

• Arabic: دَاعِر m (dāʕir), بَغِيّ m (baḡiyy), عَاهِر m (ʕāhir), زَانِيّ m (zāniyy), فَاحِش m (fāḥiš)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 舞男 (wǔnán)

• Czech: gigolo (cs) m
• Dutch: escort (nl) m
• Finnish: seuralainen (fi)
• French: gigolo (fr) m
• Georgian: ჟიგოლო (žigolo)
• German: Gigolo (de) m
• Hungarian: dzsigoló (hu)
• Italian: accompagnatore (it) m, ballerino (it) m
• Japanese: (escort) エスコート (ja) (esukōto), (dancing) ダンスパートナー専門の男 (ダンスパートナーせんもんのおとこ, dansu pātonā senmon no otoko)
• Persian: ژیگولو (fa) (žigulu)
• Polish: żigolo (pl) m, żigolak (pl) m, fordanser (pl) m
• Portuguese: acompanhante (pt) m
• Russian: жи́голо (ru) m (žígolo)
• Spanish: gigoló (es) m
• Swedish: gigolo (sv) c
• Turkish: jigolo (tr), tokmakçı (tr), tutma erkek
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

Finnish

Etymology

From French gigolo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡiɡolo/, [ˈɡiɡo̞lo̞]
• Rhymes: -iɡolo
• Hyphenation^(key): gi‧go‧lo

Noun

gigolo

1. gigolo

Declension

Inflection of gigolo (Kotus type 2/palvelu, no gradation)
nominative		gigolo	gigolot
genitive		gigolon	gigolojen gigoloiden gigoloitten
partitive		gigoloa	gigoloja gigoloita
illative		gigoloon	gigoloihin
		singular	plural
nominative		gigolo	gigolot
accusative	nom.	gigolo	gigolot
	gen.	gigolon
genitive		gigolon	gigolojen gigoloiden gigoloitten
partitive		gigoloa	gigoloja gigoloita
inessive		gigolossa	gigoloissa
elative		gigolosta	gigoloista
illative		gigoloon	gigoloihin
adessive		gigololla	gigoloilla
ablative		gigololta	gigoloilta
allative		gigololle	gigoloille
essive		gigolona	gigoloina
translative		gigoloksi	gigoloiksi
abessive		gigolotta	gigoloitta
instructive		—	gigoloin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of gigolo (Kotus type 2/palvelu, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative gigoloni gigoloni accusative nom. gigoloni gigoloni gen. gigoloni genitive gigoloni gigolojeni gigoloideni gigoloitteni partitive gigoloani gigolojani gigoloitani inessive gigolossani gigoloissani elative gigolostani gigoloistani illative gigolooni gigoloihini adessive gigolollani gigoloillani ablative gigololtani gigoloiltani allative gigololleni gigoloilleni essive gigolonani gigoloinani translative gigolokseni gigoloikseni abessive gigolottani gigoloittani instructive — — comitative — gigoloineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative gigolosi gigolosi accusative nom. gigolosi gigolosi gen. gigolosi genitive gigolosi gigolojesi gigoloidesi gigoloittesi partitive gigoloasi gigolojasi gigoloitasi inessive gigolossasi gigoloissasi elative gigolostasi gigoloistasi illative gigoloosi gigoloihisi adessive gigolollasi gigoloillasi ablative gigololtasi gigoloiltasi allative gigolollesi gigoloillesi essive gigolonasi gigoloinasi translative gigoloksesi gigoloiksesi abessive gigolottasi gigoloittasi instructive — — comitative — gigoloinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative gigolomme gigolomme accusative nom. gigolomme gigolomme gen. gigolomme genitive gigolomme gigolojemme gigoloidemme gigoloittemme partitive gigoloamme gigolojamme gigoloitamme inessive gigolossamme gigoloissamme elative gigolostamme gigoloistamme illative gigoloomme gigoloihimme adessive gigolollamme gigoloillamme ablative gigololtamme gigoloiltamme allative gigolollemme gigoloillemme essive gigolonamme gigoloinamme translative gigoloksemme gigoloiksemme abessive gigolottamme gigoloittamme instructive — — comitative — gigoloinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative gigolonne gigolonne accusative nom. gigolonne gigolonne gen. gigolonne genitive gigolonne gigolojenne gigoloidenne gigoloittenne partitive gigoloanne gigolojanne gigoloitanne inessive gigolossanne gigoloissanne elative gigolostanne gigoloistanne illative gigoloonne gigoloihinne adessive gigolollanne gigoloillanne ablative gigololtanne gigoloiltanne allative gigolollenne gigoloillenne essive gigolonanne gigoloinanne translative gigoloksenne gigoloiksenne abessive gigolottanne gigoloittanne instructive — — comitative — gigoloinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative gigolonsa gigolonsa accusative nom. gigolonsa gigolonsa gen. gigolonsa genitive gigolonsa gigolojensa gigoloidensa gigoloittensa partitive gigoloaan gigoloansa gigolojaan gigoloitaan gigolojansa gigoloitansa inessive gigolossaan gigolossansa gigoloissaan gigoloissansa elative gigolostaan gigolostansa gigoloistaan gigoloistansa illative gigoloonsa gigoloihinsa adessive gigolollaan gigolollansa gigoloillaan gigoloillansa ablative gigololtaan gigololtansa gigoloiltaan gigoloiltansa allative gigololleen gigolollensa gigoloilleen gigoloillensa essive gigolonaan gigolonansa gigoloinaan gigoloinansa translative gigolokseen gigoloksensa gigoloikseen gigoloiksensa abessive gigolottaan gigolottansa gigoloittaan gigoloittansa instructive — — comitative — gigoloineen gigoloinensa

Further reading

• “gigolo”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

French

Etymology

From gigolette +‎ -lo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʒi.ɡɔ.lo/

Noun

gigolo m (plural gigolos)

1. (informal, derogatory) gigolo

Descendants

• → Persian: ژیگولو (žigulu)

Further reading

• “gigolo”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Polish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French gigolo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʐi.ɡɔ.lɔ/, /ʐi.ɡɔˈlɔ/
• Rhymes: -iɡɔlɔ, -ɔ
• Syllabification: gi‧go‧lo

Noun

gigolo m pers (indeclinable)

1. Alternative spelling of żigolo

Declension

Declension of gigolo

	singular	plural
nominative	gigolo	gigolowie
genitive	gigola	gigolów
dative	gigolowi	gigolom
accusative	gigola	gigolów
instrumental	gigolem	gigolami
locative	gigolu	gigolach
vocative	gigolu	gigolowie

or

Indeclinable.

Further reading

• gigolo in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• gigolo in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French gigolo.

Noun

gigolo m (uncountable)

1. gigolo

Declension

singular only	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	gigolo	gigoloul
genitive-dative	gigolo	gigoloului
vocative	gigoloule

Swedish

Noun

gigolo c

1. a gigolo (male prostitue)

   Synonym: manshora

2. a gigolo (male hired dancer)

Declension

Declension of gigolo

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	gigolo	gigolos
	definite	gigolon	gigolons
plural	indefinite	gigolos, gigolor	gigolos, gigolors
	definite	gigolorna	gigolornas

References

• gigolo in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• gigolo in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• Fula Ordboken