Pikeys

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Members of the Romani ethnic group or Irish Travelling community ; people who live a nomadic lifestyle in caravans or mobile homes
2. Romani individuals or Irish Travellers as an ethnic or cultural group ; persons who adopt a wandering way of life in vehicles or temporary dwellings
3. The Romani people or Irish Travellers ; those who move from place to place living in caravans or similar portable accommodation

Etymology: "Pikeys" is the plural of "pikey", a British slang term for a traveller, often a Romani person or other itinerant, and one used as a slur. The noun is most likely built from "pike" plus the suffix "-y", though the exact sense of the base is uncertain. One possibility is the obsolete English verb "pike", meaning to depart or travel, which would make the word a label for people who are always on the move. The other is "turnpike", the toll road or gate, pointing to a link with those who lived along the roads. The association with theft is the most telling part of the word's history. The term carries the stereotype that Romani people and other travellers were thieves, and that prejudice is baked into the slang itself rather than being a later add-on. The word therefore records the prejudices of the settled population as much as any feature of the people it names.