Zigeuner
German
Etymology
Most likely from a Greek term meaning "untouchable"; compare the modern Greek designations Τσιγγάνοι (Tsingánoi), Αθίγγανοι (Athínganoi).[1][2][3] Cognate to Hungarian cigány and English tzigane; see those entries for other cognates and for more information.
The extended senses derive from racist and/or Romantic stereotypes of the Roma.
Noun
Zigeuner m (plural Zigeuner, feminine form Zigeunerin, feminine plural Zigeunerinnen)
- (offensive) Gypsy, member of the Roma, Romani person
- (offensive) member of any of several other nomadic minorities
- (offensive) disorderly, lazy or dodgy person
- (offensive) bohemian; unconventional or nonconformist artist or writer
Usage notes
"Zigeuner", an imprecise exonym for several groups, is a word loaded with mostly negative or sometimes Romantic connotations. It has been used to designate ethnic groups like the Roma and cultural movements like the Bohemian movement of nonconformist artists.[4] The Central Council of German Sinti and Roma rejects the use of "Zigeuner" as a designation for the Roma, regarding it as racist and as having been discredited by the Nazis' use of it.
Descendants
References
- ^ 2004, Viorel Achim, The Roma in Romanian History (Bucharest), page 9
- ^ 2007, Jean-Pierre Liégeois, Roma In Europe, page 17
- ^ 1993, Struggling for Ethnic Identity: The Gypsies of Hungary (published by Human Rights Watch), page 1
- ^ Anna-Lena Sälzer, Arme, Asoziale, Außenseiter : Künstler- und »Zigeuner«-Diskurse von 1900 bis zum Nationalsozialismus, in »Zigeuner« und Nation : Repräsentation - Inklusion - Exklusion, put out by Herbert Uerlings and Iulia-Karin Patrut (in Frankfurt am Main in 2008), pages 203–230