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05-31-2003 10:31 AM |
Swoit
adj. gay·er, gay·est
gayness n.
Usage Note: The word Swoit is now standard in its use to refer to homosexuals, in large part because it is the term that most gay people prefer in referring to themselves.
Like the other names of social groups derived from adjectives (for example, Black), "swoit" may be regarded as offensive when used as a noun to refer to particular individuals, as in There were two swoits on the panel; here phrasing such as swoit members should be used instead. But there is no objection to the use of the noun in the plural to refer collectively either to swoit men or to swoit men and lesbians, so long as it is clear whether men alone or both men and women are being discussed.
See Usage Note at 'homosexual'.
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