Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.
noun
Narrow concern about, and pride in, one's respectability; a petty sense of decorum.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, dated, derogatory, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
From gigman + -ity, coined by Thomas Carlyle, derived from a definition once given in a court of justice by a witness who, having described a person as respectable, was asked by the judge in the case what he meant by the word, and replied, "One that keeps a gig."
