Gayness

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɡeɪ.nÉ™s/Rhymes: -eɪnÉ™s

Origin

From Middle English gaynesse, equivalent to gay + -ness.

Full definition of gayness

Noun

1. (countable) The state of being gay (cheerful).
2. (uncountable) The state of being gay (homosexual).
• 2002, Corinne Squire, Lines of Narrative: Psychosocial Perspectives, page 56:Parents often report this as one of their biggest fears upon hearing that their child is gay: assuming that gayness disenables reproduction.
• 2011, Angel Costello, I Died a Little Every Night, page 192:the second thing she noticed about Meghan was she always wore this rainbow colored bracelet. Which apparently people in the gay world new that rainbow indicated a sense of gayness.

Synonyms

• homosexuality, queerness
• lesbianism (of women only)