Cigány
/ˈt͡siɡaːɲ/noun
A Hungarian term historically used for a Romani person or the Romani people, though related labels may be considered outdated or offensive depending on context.
Did you know?The widely proposed ancestor is Byzantine Greek Athinganoi, a name associated with a religious group described as avoiding contact, but the connection to the Romani ethnonym remains debated rather than proven.
Etymological Timeline
11th–12th Century
Byzantine Greek
Athinganoi
“The name of a religious or sectarian group in the Byzantine world; later scholars proposed it as a source for terms for the Romani, though this identification is uncertain.”
12th–13th Century
Greek/Medieval usage
Atsinganoi / Atsinganos
“Forms used in Byzantine and neighboring contexts for the group-name traditionally linked with later Romani designations.”
13th–14th Century
Old Church Slavonic
Ciganinŭ
“A term used in Slavic records for a Romani person or group, probably connected with the Byzantine form.”
14th–15th Century
Hungarian
Cigány
“The Hungarian ethnonym for Romani people, borrowed through contact with neighboring Slavic languages.”
16th–19th Century
European languages
Tzigane / Tsigane / Zingaro
“Related forms spread through French, Italian, and other European languages as names for Romani people or, later, Romani-associated music.”
Modern Hungarian
Hungarian
cigány
“A Hungarian term referring to Romani people; contemporary usage and acceptability vary, and the self-designation Roma is generally preferred in international contexts.”