1. A member of a people that arrived in Europe in migrations from northern India around the 14th century, now also living on all continents including Europe, North America, and Australia. 2. The term gypsy refers to someone who is inclined to a nomadic, unconventional way of life.
3. A person who moves from place to place as required for employment; especially, a part-time or temporary member of a college faculty or a member of the chorus line in a theater production.
4. Etymology: from about 1600, alteration of gypcian, a worn-down Middle English dialect form of egypcien, "Egyptian", from what was believed to be the origin of these people.

They call themselves Romany which is from the people's own language, a plural adjective form of rom, "man". Gipsy is the preferred spelling in Britain.

From earlier gypcian, from still earlier Egypcian, "Egyptian, gypsy", from Old French Egyptien and from Latin Aegyptianus, "Egyptian".

Also defined as one of a vagabond race, whose tribes, coming originally from India, entered Europe in the 14th or 15th century, and are now scattered over Turkey, Russia, Hungary, Spain, Romania, England, etc, living by theft, fortune telling, horse jockeying, tinkering, pick pocketing, begging, etc.

The French had another name for Gypsies which also became part of the English language

The French once referred to Gypsies as Bohemians, since the French at first believed that these people originated in Bohemia.

The word bohemian (with a lower case b) has come to mean a nonconformist, "someone who lives an unconventional life" and by extension; someone, often a writer or an artist, who does not live according to the conventions of society.

The names bohemian and Gypsy are synonymous in some usages.