Zincali
Preserved but no longer current.
Also seen as: Zingari
Gipsies; so called in Spain from Sinte or Sind (India) and calo (black), on the supposition that they came from India which no doubt is true. The Persian Zangi means an Ethiopian or Egyptian.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Zincali” mean?
Gipsies; so called in Spain from Sinte or Sind (India) and calo (black), on the supposition that they came from India which no doubt is true. The Persian Zangi means an Ethiopian or Egyptian.
Is “Zincali” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.