Where did the word gay come from

Learn the origin and evolution of the word ‘gay’ from its original meaning of joyful or carefree to its current meaning of homosexual. Discover how gay men and women used the word to refer to themselves and others, and how it became a common term in popular culture.

The word gay arrived in English during the 12th century from Old French gai, most likely deriving ultimately from a Germanic source. [2] In English, the word's primary meaning was "joyful", "carefree", "bright and showy", and the word was very commonly used with this meaning in speech and literature.