Pikey

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A member of a nomadic Traveller community, particularly in Britain and Ireland, traditionally living in caravans or temporary settlements
2. A person belonging to an Irish Traveller or Romani group, historically associated with itinerant lifestyles and caravan dwellings
3. Someone from a Traveller background, typically of Irish or Romani heritage, traditionally living a nomadic or semi-nomadic existence

Etymology: "Pikey" is a British slur for Romani people, and for other travellers and itinerant people, and its origin is uncertain. The most likely source is "pike" with the suffix "-y", but the verb "pike" in question is itself unclear. One possibility is an obsolete English "pike" meaning to depart or travel, which would make the word roughly "one who goes on the road." The other is "turnpike," the toll road, with the same idea of people constantly on the move. Either way, the word carries the stereotype behind it. The source connects it to the long-standing assumption that Romani people and other travellers were thieves, and the term became a way of branding them as criminals regardless of what they actually did. Because it is an ethnic slur, it is best recognised as offensive and avoided in ordinary use.