Zigane
/ˈziːɡɑːn/noun
A Romani person, especially a Romani musician, or something associated with Romani music and culture.
Did you know?The related French form tzigane became strongly associated with Romani-style violin music, even though the label itself was an exonym— a name given by outsiders.
Etymological Timeline
Byzantine period
Greek
athinganoi (ἀθίγγανοι)
“A name applied to a religious or social group; it is commonly proposed as the source of later European words for the Romani, though the connection is debated.”
Middle Ages
Hungarian
cigány
“A term for a Romani person; it became one of the major forms from which related European names developed.”
16th Century
German
Zigeuner
“A German exonym for the Romani people.”
17th–18th Century
French
tsigane / tzigane
“A French form referring to the Romani people, and later especially to their music and artistic style.”
19th–20th Century
English
zigane
“An English borrowing used for a Romani person or, particularly, Romani-associated music.”