non-gay
|non-gay|
🇺🇸
/nɑnˈɡeɪ/
🇬🇧
/nɒnˈɡeɪ/
not gay / negation of gay
Etymology
'non-gay' originates from English, formed by the prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non' meaning 'not') combined with the adjective 'gay' (from Old French 'gai' meaning 'joyful').
'gay' changed from Old French 'gai' into Middle English 'gay' meaning 'joyful'; over centuries 'gay' also acquired the meaning 'homosexual'. The prefix 'non-' comes from Latin 'non' and is used in Modern English to create negated compounds; the combination produced the modern compound 'non-gay'.
Initially, 'gay' meant 'joyful'; over time it evolved to commonly mean 'homosexual'. 'Non-gay' therefore originally meant simply 'not joyful' in a literal negation of the older sense but in modern usage it means 'not homosexual'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person who is not gay (used informally to refer to someone who is not homosexual).
At the party there were gays, lesbians, and non-gays.
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Adjective 1
not gay; indicating someone or something that is not homosexual.
The show includes both gay and non-gay characters.
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Last updated: 2025/10/15 19:28