Gay The word gay originated from the Old High German word gahi, which means “rapid and impetuous.” In the twelfth century, the word gahi gave rise to the Middle French word gai, meaning “merry and happily excited.” The English word gay was borrowed from the Middle French word gai in the fourteenth century. The word gay greatly reflects the cultural changes in English speaking countries. In English, the word was used to indicate excessive heterosexual …showed first 75 words of 454 total…

…showed last 75 words of 454 total…that it’s related to homosexual males. The word gay became a part of teenagers’ slang. Anything that they dislike can be called gay, like “gay song.” The inaccurate uses of gay are very offensive, and can often hurt people emotionally. It’s important for teenagers to know the history of the word gay and to realize that gay has additional meanings other than “homosexual”, such as “cheerful.” Bibliography the history of the word "gay"