Revised 2007 More entries for "queer"
queerverb2
Factsheet
What does the verb queer mean?
There are five meanings listed in OED's entry for the verb queer. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
How common is the verb queer?
About 0.3occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1770 | 0.021 |
| 1780 | 0.022 |
| 1790 | 0.029 |
| 1800 | 0.033 |
| 1810 | 0.034 |
| 1820 | 0.033 |
| 1830 | 0.035 |
| 1840 | 0.041 |
| 1850 | 0.048 |
| 1860 | 0.057 |
| 1870 | 0.073 |
| 1880 | 0.099 |
| 1890 | 0.13 |
| 1900 | 0.15 |
| 1910 | 0.18 |
| 1920 | 0.19 |
| 1930 | 0.19 |
| 1940 | 0.17 |
| 1950 | 0.14 |
| 1960 | 0.14 |
| 1970 | 0.13 |
| 1980 | 0.19 |
| 1990 | 0.29 |
| 2000 | 0.38 |
| 2010 | 0.42 |
How is the verb queer pronounced?
British English
/kwɪə/
kweer
U.S. English
/kwɪ(ə)r/
kwiur
Where does the verb queer come from?
Earliest known use
late 1700s
The earliest known use of the verb queer is in the late 1700s.
OED's earliest evidence for queer is from 1778, in the Morning Chronicle (London).
It is also recorded as an adjective from the early 1500s.
queer is apparently formed within English, by conversion.
Etymons: queer adj.1; queer adj.2
Nearby entries
- 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–
- queerer, n.a1800–
- queer fellow, n.1712–
- queerie, n.1933–
Meaning & use
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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, v.²
queer, v.2 was revised in December 2007
queer, v.2 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, v.2 in July 2023.
Earlier versions of queer, v.2 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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