gilí

See also: gili and gilî

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Caló jili (“innocent; fresh”), from Romani śil (“cold”), from Sanskrit शीत (śītá, “cold”), formed from a root also seen in Sanskrit śyā- (“ice”), and śyā́yati (“(s)he makes freeze, makes congeal”), and śī́yate (“(s)he freezes, congeals, is cold”); outside Indic, compare Ossetic (Digor dialect) suyun (from earlier *siyun), (Iron dialect) siin (both “to freeze”). No cognates are known outside Indo-Iranian.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xiˈli/ [xiˈli]
• Rhymes: -i
• Syllabification: gi‧lí

Adjective

gilí m or f (masculine and feminine plural gilís or gilíes)

1. (colloquial, Spain) stupid

   Synonyms: tonto, pasmado

Derived terms

• gil
• gilipollas

Further reading

• “gilí”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10