French

Makoumé

it is a Creole expression used in Guadeloupe and Martinique (French Antilles) to call homosexual men. It is a very insulting term, although sometimes, and among friends only, it can be used without explicitly indicating homosexuality, as it happens in the Spanish language with the word Maricón, as in Sakré makoumè (Big fat faggot!). However, this family use is only circumscribed to the most intimate male circle and someone from outside, or especially a woman, should never use this expression to refer to a man.

Its origin is found in the word commère (godmother), and more precisely in the deformation of the expression Ma commère (“my godmother”, “my close friend” between women). In principle, commère was the term used to indicate the existing relationship between the godmother and the godfather. However, this word, both in French and in Spanish, ended up being used on the one hand, to express a relationship of deep friendship between two women in the sense of confident, and on the other, to express a more pejorative sense of blabbermouth or gossip, a stereotypical characteristic of women.

The use of Makoumé as an insult to the homosexual man, could then come from the supposed closeness of him to the groups of women, being thus called by society with the same name they give to women. Or simply because it is assumed that a homosexual man behaves like a woman or assumes her role, something that for example we see reflected in a saying of Martinique:

“Adan an komin pani dé mè, si ni dé mè ni an makoumè”

(in a community there are not two mothers, if there were, it is because there is a Makoumé)

Regardless of what the meaning might be, it is clear that this is one of the many examples in which feminization is synonymous with insult.

Variations: Macoumé, Makoumère, Makoumè.