Revised 2007 More entries for "queer"
queeradjective1
Factsheet
What does the adjective queer mean?
There are five meanings listed in OED's entry for the adjective queer, one of which is considered offensive. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
How common is the adjective queer?
About 2occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 0.2 |
| 1760 | 0.2 |
| 1770 | 0.2 |
| 1780 | 0.21 |
| 1790 | 0.23 |
| 1800 | 0.28 |
| 1810 | 0.35 |
| 1820 | 0.46 |
| 1830 | 0.66 |
| 1840 | 0.92 |
| 1850 | 1.2 |
| 1860 | 1.6 |
| 1870 | 2.0 |
| 1880 | 2.5 |
| 1890 | 3.1 |
| 1900 | 3.7 |
| 1910 | 4.1 |
| 1920 | 4.2 |
| 1930 | 4.0 |
| 1940 | 3.4 |
| 1950 | 2.4 |
| 1960 | 1.6 |
| 1970 | 1.2 |
| 1980 | 1.1 |
| 1990 | 1.4 |
| 2000 | 1.8 |
| 2010 | 2.1 |
How is the adjective queer pronounced?
British English
/kwɪə/
kweer
U.S. English
/kwɪ(ə)r/
kwiur
Where does the adjective queer come from?
Earliest known use
early 1500s
The earliest known use of the adjective queer is in the early 1500s.
OED's earliest evidence for queer is from before 1513, in the writing of William Dunbar, poet and courtier.
queer is of uncertain origin. Perhaps a borrowing from German.
Etymons: German quer.
Nearby entries
- queen's woman, n.1871–
- queen's wreath, n.1922–
- queen's yellow, n.1806–79
- queen triggerfish, n.1906–
- queen truss, n.1840–
- queen wasp, n.1724–
- queen-widow, n.a1623–
- queenwood, n.1873–
- queeny, adj.1902–
- queer, n.²1826–
- queer, adj.¹?a1513–
- queer, adj.² & n.¹1567–
- queer, v.¹c1390–
- queer, v.²1778–
- queerbaiting, n.1956–
- queer-bash, v.1964–
- queer-basher, n.1970–
- queer-bashing, n.1970–
- queercore, n.1991–
- queer cuffin, n.1567–1855
- queerdom, n.1961–
Meaning & use
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Etymology
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for queer, adj.¹
queer, adj.1 was revised in December 2007
queer, adj.1 was last modified in July 2023
oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:
- further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into queer, adj.1 in July 2023.
Earlier versions of queer, adj.1 were published in:
OED First Edition (1902)
OED Second Edition (1989)
Cite
Chicago
Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “”, . <>
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MLA9
“”. Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, , <>
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