Gypsy A gypsy is a member of a traveling people with dark skin and hair, speaking a language related to Hindi, and usually living by seasonal work, trade, and fortune-telling. Gypsies, who number approximately one million, are found on most continents. Their primary identifying cultural characteristic is their distinctive language. It is generally agreed that their original homeland was the Indian subcontinent which they probably left in three separate migrations. With their distinctive customs, the gypsies continue to resist assimilation and their dispersion has been accelerated in modern times by prejudice and by persecution. In Britain, gypsies are often treated with disapproval, lack of trust, and lack of understanding because their way of life is so different from the way most other British people live. There are very few gypsies in the US, and there the word refers to anyone who has a wandering way of life.