The following is a short paper I wrote a few months ago for my Introduction to the English Language class. The assignment was to use the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) to explore the etymology of any English word-how it first entered our language and how its meaning has changed over time. I wanted to write about a word that has a special significance in my life, so the word I chose was "queer".


The word "queer" has undergone an intriguing evolution since its introduction to the English language in the early sixteenth century. Though it began as an adjective meaning "odd," "queer" came to be used during the twentieth century as a derogatory term for "homosexual." However, the word has since been reclaimed as a term of pride and empowerment for gay people, further illustrating its versatility in our language.

The origin of "queer" has not been conclusively determined, but it may come from the German "quer", "transverse, oblique, crosswise, at right angles, obstructive, (of things) going wrong (now rare), (of a person) peculiar (now obsolete in this sense), (of a glance) directed sideways, especially in a surreptitious or hostile manner (now rare), (of opinion and behaviour) at odds with others..." However, the meanings of "queer" and "quer" do not directly correlate with one another, and many of "quer"'s uses in German developed after the English "queer", thus creating doubt as to the legitimacy of this origin (OED adj¹).

Regardless of its origin, "queer" was first attested in English in 1513 by Bishop Gavin Douglas in his translation of Virgil's "Æneid"-"The cadgear..Calland the colear ane knaif and culroun full queyr" (VIII. Prol. 43). The meaning here is "Strange, odd, peculiar, eccentric. Also: of questionable character; suspicious, dubious" (1a). A more recent example of this usage is from F. Collymore in 1993-"Yes, it's queer you disagree. But it's even queerer that you agree upon all the others. It's a queer thing anyhow, this twin business" ("Twin-Ending" 37). A later definition is "Out of sorts; unwell; faint, giddy. Formerly also (slang): drunk (obs.)" (2). This meaning was first used in 1749 by M. Collyer-"I must confess that I was in a very queer situation of mind: I was far from being easy" ("Letters from Felicia to Charlotte" II. xxxv. 132)-and recently in 2003-"I also can't eat eggs as they make me feel queer" ("Times" (Nexis) 20 Dec. 23).

In 1914, however, a drastic change occurred in the meaning of "queer" when a colloquial usage of the word originated in the United States, defined as "Of a person: homosexual. Hence: of or relating to homosexuals or homosexuality" (3). The term was "originally chiefly derogatory (and still widely considered offensive, especially when used by heterosexual people)," as illustrated by J. G. Cozzens' 1936 example, "'He's not queer, or something, is he?' 'Lord, no! Worse than that. He's a convert'" ("Men & Brethren" i. 24) and Christopher William Bradshaw Isherwood's 1939, "Men dressed as "women"?.. Do you mean they're "queer"?" ("Goodbye to Berlin" 296). The negative connotation of "queer" in this sense is emphasized by its derivation from the "strange" or "dubious" meaning, suggesting an unfavorable attitude of society towards homosexuals.

Additionally, a second adjectival form of "queer" came about in 1567. Though its origin is also unknown, some of its more unusual spellings, such as "quyre", indicate that it was originally a different word from the adj¹ form of "queer" (adj²). This sense of the word originally meant "Bad; contemptible, worthless; untrustworthy; disreputable. Obs." (1). A 1575 example from John Awdelay states, "A Quire bird is one that came lately out of prison" ("Fraternitye of Vacabondes" (new ed.) sig. A2v). Furthermore, a second definition, "Of coins or banknotes: counterfeit, forged" (2) came into use in 1740-"Instead of returning the good Guinea again, they used to give a Queer One" ("Ordinary of Newgate, his Account" 7 May 15/1).

Another usage of "queer" is the phrase "on the queer", which uses a noun form of the word. The phrase is defined as "living dishonestly; specifically engaged in the forging of currency" (n¹ 2). It was first used in 1905 by C. H. Day-"Only just feeling of you to see if you was on the queer" ("Actress & Clerk" ii. 22). Interestingly, the OED compares this phrase with "on the straight", a slang phrase meaning "behaving reputably" (straight n 1b). These usages of "queer" and "straight", when compared with their modern meanings regarding sexuality, again seem to indicate a societal disapproval of homosexuality. However, "from the late 1980s [queer] began to be used as a neutral or positive term (originally of self-reference, by some homosexuals {...]) in place of "gay" or "homosexual" [...]" (queer adj¹ 3), as in the 1987 example, "Marchers..laughed when they saw one woman holding a sign that read 'We're here because we're queer' ("Syracuse" (N.Y.) "Herald-Journal". 12 Oct. A6/3). This more positive usage of the word then gave rise in 1990 to the term "queer theory", "an approach to social and cultural study which seeks to challenge or deconstruct traditional ideas of sexuality and gender, especially the acceptance of heterosexuality as normative and the perception of a rigid dichotomy of male and female traits" (adj¹).

Thus, it is clear that the meaning of "queer" has changed significantly over time, leaving a prominent mark on the English language despite its lack of a definite known origin.

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