queer Hear it!

queer definition

queer (kwir)

adjective

  1. differing from what is usual or ordinary; odd; singular; strange
  2. slightly ill; qualmish or giddy
  3. Informal doubtful; suspicious
  4. Informal having mental quirks; eccentric
  5. Slang counterfeit; not genuine
  6. Slang homosexual: in general usage, still chiefly a slang term of contempt or derision, but lately used as by some academics and homosexual activists as a descriptive term without negative connotations

Etymology: N Eng & Scot dial: via beggars' cant < ? Ger quer, crosswise, in the orig. sense (MHG twer), crooked

transitive verb

  1. to spoil the smooth operation or success of
  2. to put (oneself) into an unfavorable position

noun

  1. counterfeit money
  2. a strange or eccentric person
  3. Slang a homosexual: see note at adj. 6

Related Forms:

queer Idioms

be queer for

Slang to have a strong liking for; be obsessed with

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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classical Latin graeculus = “queer bastard”58 months ago

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