gigolo
UK[ˈʒɪɡələʊ]US[ˈʒɪɡəloʊ]
n
a man who is paid by a woman, especially an older woman, to be her companion or lover.
n
a man who is paid to be a woman's escort or dancing partner.
Etymology
the word 'gigolo' entered english in the early 20th century, borrowed directly from modern french. the french term is itself a masculine derivative of the feminine noun 'gigole', a colloquial term for a dancing girl or a lively woman, which likely stems from the verb 'gigoter', meaning 'to jump' or 'to jig'. this etymological thread connects the word to notions of lively movement and entertainment. the semantic shift from a female dancer to a male paid companion reflects the social role such men often played as escorts and dance partners for wealthy women. thus, the modern meaning evolved from a term for an entertainer to one denoting a specific type of professional, romantic companion.
Analysis
this word is a loanword from french. it is not productively formed from separable english morphemes and is therefore treated as a simplex unit.
Examples
in the novel, the wealthy widow was accompanied everywhere by her handsome young gigolo.
he was accused of being nothing more than a gigolo, living off the generosity of his older girlfriend.
the film portrays the tragic life of a gigolo in 1920s paris.