romany
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A gipsy, or the gipsy language; the speech of the Roma or Zincali.—Spanish Gipsy. "Can you patter ROMANY?" i.e., can you talk "black," or gipsy lingo?
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “romany” mean?
A gipsy, or the gipsy language; the speech of the Roma or Zincali.—Spanish Gipsy. "Can you patter ROMANY?" i.e., can you talk "black," or gipsy lingo?
Is “romany” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.