A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

jaunty --- 1662, "elegant, stylish," from Fr. gentil "nice, pleasing," from O.Fr. gentil "noble" (see gentle). Form reflects attempt to render Fr. pronunciation of gentil. Meaning "easy and sprightly in manner" first attested 1672.

java --- 1850, kind of coffee grown on Java and nearby islands of modern Indonesia. The island name is shortened from Skt. Yavadvipa "Island of Barley," from yava "barley" + dvipa "island."

javelin --- c.1475, from M.Fr. javeline (15c.), fem. dim. of O.Fr. javelot "a spear," probably from Gaulish (cf. O.Ir. gabul "fork;" Welsh gafl "fork," gaflach "feathered spear"). Also found in It. (giavelotto) and M.H.G. (gabilot).

jaw --- c.1374, "the bones of the mouth," perhaps from O.Fr. joue "cheek," from Gaulish *gauta "cheek," or perhaps a variant of words related to chew (q.v.). Replaced O.E. ceace, ceafl. Slang for "to speak" since 1748; hence 19c. U.S. slang jawsmith "talkative person" (1887). Jawbreaker "word hard to pronounce" is from 1839.

jay --- 1310, common European bird (Garrulus glandarinus), from O.Fr. gai, from L.L. gaius "a jay," probably echoic and supposedly infl. by L. Gaius, a common proper name. For other bird names from proper names, cf. martin and parrot. Applied to the N.Amer. blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) from 1709. Applied to humans in sense of "impertinent chatterer, flashy dresser" from 1623. Jaywalker is first attested 1916 in Amer.Eng. (supposedly originally in Boston), from notion of boldness and impudence. Jayhawker is Amer.Eng., 1858, originally "freebooter, guerrilla, Kansas irregular" (esp. one who came from the North). Jay was slang for "fourth-rate, worthless" (1888) cf. a jay town.

Jaycee --- 1946, Amer.Eng., from pronunciation of J.C., in Junior Chamber (of Commerce).

jazz --- by 1912, Amer.Eng., first attested in baseball slang; as a type of music, attested from 1913. Probably ult. from Creole patois jass "strenuous activity," especially "sexual intercourse" but also used of Congo dances, from jasm (1860) "energy, drive," of African origin (cf. Mandingo jasi, Temne yas), also the source of slang jism.

je ne sais quoi --- 1656, "an inexpressible something," from Fr., lit. "I do not know what."

jealous --- c.1225, from O.Fr. gelos (12c., Fr. jaloux), from L.L. zelosus, from zelus "zeal," from Gk. zelos, sometimes "jealousy," but more often in a good sense ("emulation, rivalry, zeal"). See zeal. Among the ways to express this are Swed. svartsjuka, lit. "black-sick," from phrase bara svarta strumpor "wear black stockings," also "be jealous." Dan. skinsyg "jealous," lit. "skin-sick," is from skind "hide, skin" said to be explained by Swed. dial. expression fa skinn "receive a refusal in courtship."

Jean --- masc. proper name, from Fr. equiv. of John. Fem. proper name is from Fr. equivalent of Jane.

jean --- twilled cotton cloth, 1436, from Fr. jean fustian "fustian (a type of twilled cotton cloth) of Genoa," the city in Italy, from O.Fr. Jannes "Genoa," from L. Genua, perhaps from janua "gate," or in ref. to the god Janus (q.v.). The plural form became standard 19c. First used 1843 in sense of "pants made from jean."

jeep --- 1941, Amer.Eng. military slang, from G.P. "general purpose (car)," but influenced by Eugene the Jeep (who had extraordinary powers but only said "jeep"), from E.C. Segar's comic strip "Thimble Theater" (also home of Popeye the Sailor). Eugene the Jeep first appeared in the strip March 13, 1936.

jeepers --- 1929, Amer.Eng., euphemistic alteration of Jesus.

jeer --- 1553, gyr, "to deride, to mock," perhaps from Du. gieren "to cry or roar," or Ger. scheren "to plague, vex," lit. "to shear." OED finds the suggestion that it is an ironical use of cheer "plausible and phonetically feasible, ... but ... beyond existing evidence."

Jeeves --- personification of the perfect valet, 1930, from character in P.G. Wodehouse novels.

Jeez --- 1923, Amer.Eng., euphemistic corruption Jesus.

Jehosaphat --- biblical name (II Sam. viii.16), used as a mild expletive in Amer.Eng. from 1857.

Jehovah --- 1530, Tyndale's erroneous transliteration of Heb. Tetragramaton YHWH, using vowel points of Adhonai "my lord" (see Yahweh). Used for YHWH (the full name being too sacred for utterance) in four places in the Old Testament in the K.J.V. where the usual translation lord would have been inconvenient; taken as the principal and personal name of God. The vowel substitution was originally made by the Masoretes as a direction to substitute Adhonai for "the ineffable name." European students of Heb. took this literally, which yielded L. JeHoVa (first attested in writings of Galatinus, 1516). Jehovah's Witnesses "member of Watchtower Bible and Tract Society" first attested 1933; the organization founded c.1879 by Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916); the name from Isa. xliii:10.

Jehu --- fast, skillful driver, 1682, from Jehu, a king of Israel in O.T., who "driveth furiously" (II Kings ix.20).

jejune --- 1615, "dull in the mind, flat, insipid," from L. jejunus "empty, dry, barren," lit. "hungry," of obscure origin.

Jekyll and Hyde --- in ref. to opposite aspects of a person's character, from Robert Louis Stevenson's story, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," published 1886.

jell --- 1830, Amer.Eng. back-formation of jelly. Figurative sense is first attested 1908. M.E. had gelen "congeal," but it disappeared 15c.

jello --- from Jell-O, trademark for powdered gelatin food, reg. 1934 by The Jell-o Company of Canada, Ltd., Montreal.

jelly --- 1381, from O.Fr. gelée "a frost, jelly," lit. fem. pp. of geler "congeal," from L. gelare "to freeze," from gelu "frost." Jellyfish as the popular name of the medusa and similar sea-creatures is from 1841. Jellybean first attested 1908. Jellyroll "cylindrical cake containing jelly or jam" is from 1895; as slang for "vagina, sexual intercourse" it dates from 1914 ("St. Louis Blues").

Jemima --- fem. personal name, biblical daughter of Job, from Heb. Yemimah, lit. "dove" (cf. Ar. yamama).

Jennifer --- from Welsh Gwenhwyvar (fem.), from gwen "fair, white" + (g)wyf "smooth, yielding." Most popular name for girls born in America 1970-1984; all but unknown there before 1938.

jenny --- fem. personal name, originally dim. of Jane or Janet; attested from 1600 as fem. equivalent of jack (n.); applied to animals (e.g. Jenny wren, 1648) and machinery (spinning jenny, 1783).

jeopardy --- c.1300, ioparde (13c. in Anglo-Fr.), from O.Fr. jeu parti, lit. "a divided game, game with even chances," from jeu "a game" (from L. jocus "jest") + parti, pp. of partir "to divide" (see part). Originally "a stratagem," sense of "danger, risk" is c.1374.

Jephthah --- biblical judge of Israel, from Gk. Iephthae, from Heb. Yiphtah, lit. "God opens," imperf. of pathah "he opened" (cf. pethah "opening, entrance").

jeremiad --- 1780, from Fr. jérémiade (1762), in allusion to "Lamentations of Jeremiah" in Old Testament.

Jeremiah --- masc. proper name, O.T. prophet (see jeremiad) who fl. c.626-586 B.C.E., from Heb. Yarimyah, lit. "may Jehovah exalt." Latinized as Jeremias; the vernacular form in Eng. was Jeremy.

jerk (n.) --- 1935, "tedious and ineffectual person," Amer.Eng. carnival slang, perhaps from jerkwater town (1878), where a steam locomotive crew had to take on boiler water from a trough or a creek because there was no water tank. This led 1890s to an adj. use of jerk as "inferior, insignificant." Probably also infl. by verb jerk off, slang for "perform male masturbation" (first recorded 1916). Jerk off (n.) as an emphatic form of jerk (n.) first attested 1968.

jerk (v.) --- 1550, "to lash, strike as with a whip," of uncertain origin, perhaps echoic. Noun sense of "sudden sharp pull or twist" first recorded 1575. Meaning "involuntary spasmodic movement of limbs or features" first recorded 1805. As the name of a popular dance, it is attested from 1966. Sense in soda jerk attested from 1883, from the pulling motion required to work the taps.

jerkin --- 1519, of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Du. jurk "a frock," but this is a modern word, itself of unknown origin.

jerky (n.) --- 1850, Amer.Eng., from Amer.Sp. charqui "jerked meat," from Quechua ch'arki "dried flesh." The verb jerk "to cure meat by cutting into long thin slices and drying in the sun" is recorded from 1707.

jeroboam --- 1816, "large wine bottle," from Jeroboam, "a mighty man of valour" (I Kings xi.28) "who made Israel to sin" (xiv.16), from Heb. Yarobh'am, lit. "let the people increase."

Jerome --- masc. proper name, from Fr. Jérome, from L.L. Hieronymus, from Gk. Hieronymos, lit. "holy name," from hieros "holy" + onyma, dialectal form of onoma "name" (see name).

Jerry --- World War I British Army slang for "German," 1919, probably an alteration of German, but also said to be from the shape of the Ger. helmet, which was like a jerry, British slang for "chamber pot" (1827), probably an abbreviation of jeroboam. Hence jerry-can "5-gallon metal container" (1943), a type first used by German troops in World War II, later adopted by the Allies.

jerry-built --- 1869, Eng. dial. jerry "bad, defective," a pejorative use of the male nickname Jerry (a popular form of Jeremy), or from naut. slang jury "temporary," which came to be used of all sorts of makeshift and inferior objects (see jury (adj.)).

jersey --- knitted cloth (1583) and "breed of cattle" (1842) both from Jersey, one of the Channel Islands, said to be a corruption of L. Caesarea, the Roman name for the island (or another near it), infl. by O.E. ey "island;" but probably in fact a Viking name (perhaps meaning "Geirr's island"). The meaning "woollen knitted close-fitting tunic," especially one worn during sporting events, is from 1836.

Jerusalem --- holy city in Palestine, from Gk. Hierousalem, from Heb. Yerushalayim, lit. "foundation of peace," from base of yarah "he threw, cast" + shalom "peace." Jerusalem "artichoke" is folk etymology of It. girasole "sunflower."

Jesse --- masc. proper name, biblical father of David, from L., from Gk. Iessai, from Heb. Yishay, of unknown origin.

Jessica --- fem. proper name, from L.L. Jesca, from Gk. Ieskha, from Heb. Yiskah, name of a daughter of Haran [Gen. xi.29].

jest --- c.1300, "narrative of exploits" (originally in verse), from O.Fr. geste "action, exploit," from L. gesta "deeds," neut. pl. of gestus, pp. of gerere "to carry, behave, act, perform." Sense descended through "idle tale" (c.1470) to "mocking speech, raillery" (c.1548) to "joke" (1551). The verb in the sense of "to speak in a trifling manner" is from 1530. Jester developed from M.E. gestour "a minstrel, professional reciter of romances" (c.1380), from gesten "recite a tale," which was a jester's original function; sense of "buffoon in a prince's court" is from 1510.

Jesuit --- 1550, from Mod.L. Jesuita, member of the Society of Jesus, founded 1533 by Ignatius Loyola to combat Protestantism. Their enemies (in both Catholic and Protestant lands) accused them of belief that ends justify means, hence the sense "a dissembling person" (1640), and jesuitical "deceitful" (1613).

Jesus --- c.1175 (O.E. simply used hælend "savior"), from Gk. Iesous, attempt to render Aramaic proper name Jeshua (Heb. Yeshua) "Jah is salvation," a common Jewish personal name, the later form of Heb. Yehoshua (see Joshua). As an oath, attested from 1377. For Jesus H. Christ (1924), see I.H.S. First record of Jesus freak is from 1970. Jesu, common in M.E., is from the O.Fr. objective case.

jet (n.) --- deep black lignite, 1351, from Anglo-Fr. geet, corresponding to O.Fr. jaiet (12c.), from L. gagates, from Gk. gagates lithos "stone of Gages," town and river in Lycia. As "a deep black color," attested from c.1450.

jet (v.) --- 1420, "to prance, strut, swagger," from M.Fr. jeter "to throw, thrust," from L.L. jectare, abstracted from dejectare, projectare, etc., in place of L. jactare "toss about," freq. of jacere "to throw, cast," from PIE base *ye- "to do" (cf. Gk. iemi, ienai "to send, throw;" Hitt. ijami "I make"). Meaning "to sprout or spurt forth" is from 1692. The noun sense of "stream of water" is from 1696; that of "spout or nozzle for emitting water, gas, fuel, etc." is from 1825. Hence jet propulsion (1867) and the noun meaning "airplane driven by jet propulsion" (1944, from jet engine, 1943). The first one to be in service was the Ger. Messerschmitt Me 262. Jet stream is from 1947. Jet set first attested 1951, slightly before jet commuter plane flights began.

Jethro --- masc. proper name, biblical father-in-law of Moses, from Heb. Yithro, collateral form of Yether, lit. "abundance," from base y-t-r "to be left over, to remain."

jetsam --- 1570, alteration of M.E. jetteson "act of throwing goods overboard to lighten a ship," from Anglo-Fr. getteson (see jettison). Form perhaps influenced by flotsam. For distinction of meaning, see flotsam.

jettison --- 1425 (n.) "act of throwing overboard," from Anglo-Fr. getteson, from O.Fr. getaison "act of throwing (goods overboard)," especially to lighten a ship in distress, from L.L. jactionem (nom. jactatio), from jactatus, pp. of jectare "toss about" (see jet (v.)). The verb is first attested 1848.

jetty --- 1418, from O.Fr. jetee "a jetty, a projecting part of a building," from fem. pp. of jeter "to throw" (see jet (v.)). Notion is of a structure "thrown out" past what surrounds it.

Jew (n.) --- c.1175 (in plural, giwis), from Anglo-Fr. iuw, from O.Fr. giu, from L. Judaeum (nom. Judaeus), from Gk. Ioudaios, from Aramaic jehudhai (Heb. y'hudi "Jew," from Y'hudah "Judah," lit. "celebrated," name of Jacob's fourth son and of the tribe descended from him. Replaced O.E. Iudeas "the Jews." Originally, "Hebrew of the kingdom of Judah." Jews' harp "simple mouth harp" is from 1584, earlier Jews' trump (1545); the connection with Jewishness is obscure. Jew-baiting first recorded 1853, in ref. to Ger. Judenhetze. In uneducated times, inexplicable ancient artifacts were credited to Jews, based on the biblical chronology of history: e.g. Jews' money (1577) "Roman coins found in England." In Greece, after Christianity had erased the memory of classical glory, ruins of pagan temples were called "Jews' castles."

jew (v.) --- to cheat, to drive a hard bargain, 1824, from Jew (n.) (cf. gyp, welsh, etc.). The campaign to eliminate it in early 20c. was so successful that people began to avoid the noun and adj., too, and started using Hebrew instead.

jewel --- c.1290, "article of value used for adornment," Anglo-Fr. juel, O.Fr. juel, jouel "ornament, jewel" (12c.), perhaps from M.L. jocale, from L. jocus "pastime, sport," in V.L. "that which causes joy" (see joke). Another theory traces it to L. gaudium, also with a notion of "rejoice." Sense of "precious stone" developed early 14c.

jezebel --- impudent woman, 1558, after Jezebel, the wicked Tyrean princess who married Ahab, king of Israel (Kings xxi:5-23), from Heb. Izebhel, "a name of uncertain origin and meaning" [Klein].

jib --- foresail of a ship, 1661, gibb, of uncertain origin, perhaps related to gibbet, from notion of a sail "hanging" from a masthead. Or perhaps from jib (v.) "shift a sail or boom" (1693), from Du. gijben, apparently related to gijk "boom or spar of a sailing ship." Said to indicate a ship's character to an observant sailor as a strange vessel approaches at sea; also nautical slang for "face," hence cut of his jib.

jibe --- agree, fit, 1813, of unknown origin, perhaps a figurative extension of earlier jib (v.) "shift a sail or boom" (see jib). OED, however, suggests a phonetic variant of chime, as if meaning "to chime in with, to be in harmony."

jiffy --- 1785, "a moment, an instant," colloquial, origin unknown; said to be originally thieves' slang for "lightning."

jig --- lively dance, c.1560, perhaps related to M.Fr. giguer "to dance," or to the source of Ger. Geige "violin." Meaning "piece of sport, trick" is 1592, now mainly in phrase the jig is up (first attested 1777 as the jig is over).

jigaboo --- insulting name for "a black person," 1909, perhaps from jig (q.v.), which had been applied insultingly to persons since late 18c., and ending from bugaboo.

jigger --- 1.5-ounce shot glass, 1836, from jigger, a 1756 alteration of chigger "tiny mite or flea" (q.v.). As a name for various appliances, it is attested from 1825, from jig (q.v.).

jiggle --- 1836, from jig (q.v.) + -le, frequentative suffix.

jigsaw --- vertical reciprocating saw, 1873, Amer.Eng., from jig with its notion of "rapid up-and-down motion." Jigsaw puzzle first recorded 1909; originally one with pieces cut by a jigsaw.

jihad --- 1869, from Ar., usually translated as "holy war," lit. "struggle, contest, effort," from inf. of jahada "he waged war, he applied himself to." Used for any doctrinal crusade since c.1880.

Jill --- fem. proper name, variant of Gill (see jilt).

jillion --- 1942, arbitrary coinage, modeled on million.

jilt (v.) --- to deceive after holding out hopes, 1673, from jilt (n.) "loose, unchaste woman; harlot" (1672), perhaps ult. from M.E. gille "lass, wench," a familiar or contemptuous term for a woman or girl (c.1460), originally a shortened form of woman's name Gillian, popular form of Juliana.

Jim Crow --- black person, 1838, Amer.Eng., originally the name of a black minstrel character in a popular song-and-dance act, from a T.D. Rice song that appeared 1828. Even before that, crow had been a derogatory term for a black man. Association with segregation dates from 1842, in ref. to a railroad car for blacks. Modern use as a type of racial discrimination is from 1943.

jim-dandy --- remarkable person or thing, 1844, perhaps from an old song, "Dandy Jim of Caroline" (1840s).

jiminy --- exclamation of surprise, 1803, a disguised oath, probably for Jesu Domine "Jesus Lord." Extended form jiminy cricket is attested from 1848.

jimmy --- 1848, variant of jemmy, crowbar much used by burglars, special use of Jemmy, familiar form of proper name James (see jack).

jimson weed --- 1812, Amer.Eng. shortening of Jamestown-weed (1687), from Jamestown, Virginia colony, where it was discovered by Europeans (1676), when British soldiers mistook it for an edible plant and subsequently hallucinated for 11 days.

jingle --- c.1386, gingeln, of imitative origin (cf. Du. jengelen, Ger. klingeln). Meaning "song in an advertisement" first attested 1930, from earlier sense of "catchy array of words in prose or verse" (1645).

jingo --- mindless, gung-ho patriot, 1878, picked up from the refrain of a music hall song written by G.W. Hunt supporting aggressive British policy toward Russia at a time of international tension. ("We don't want to fight, But by Jingo! if we do, We've got the ships, we've got the men, We've got the money too.") As an asseveration, it was in colloquial use since 1694, and is apparently yet another euphemism for Jesus, influenced by conjurer's gibberish presto-jingo (1670). The suggestion that it somehow derives from Basque Jinko "god" is "not impossible," but "as yet unsupported by evidence" [OED].

jink --- to wheel or fling about in dancing (v.), 1715, of unknown origin. High jinks (1700) originally was a drinking game; sense of "lively or boisterous sport" is from 1842.

jinx (n.) --- 1911, Amer.Eng., from 17c. jyng "a charm, a spell," originally "wryneck," a bird used in witchcraft and divination, from L. iynx "wryneck," from Gk. iynx. The verb is 1917 in Amer.Eng., from the noun.

jism --- cum, 1899; earlier "energy, strength" (1842), see jazz.

jitney --- bus which carries passengers for a fare, 1914, Amer.Eng., from gitney, St. Louis slang for "a nickel" (1903), perhaps because the buses' fare was a nickel, a coin formerly called a gitney, perhaps from Fr. jeton "coin-sized metal disk, slug, counter," from O.Fr. jeter "to calculate," lit. "to throw."

jitterbug --- swing dance, 1938, Amer.Eng., from Jitter bug, title of a song recorded by Cab Calloway in 1934. Related to jitters (pl.) "extreme nervousness," 1925, Amer.Eng., perhaps an alteration of dial. chitter "tremble, shiver," from M.E. chittern "to twitter, chatter." Jittery is 1931, Amer.Eng.

jive --- 1928, "to deceive playfully" (v.), also "empty, misleading talk" (n.) and "a style of fast, lively jazz and dance music," Amer.Eng., from Black English, probably of African origin (cf. Wolof jev, jeu "talk about someone absent, especially in a disparaging manner"). Used from 1938 for "New York City African-American slang." The adj. meaning "not acting right" is attested from 1971.

job --- 1557, in phrase jobbe of worke "piece of work" (contrasted with continuous labor), perhaps a variant of gobbe "mass, lump" (c.1400, see gob). Sense of "work done for pay" first recorded 1660. Slang meaning "specimen, thing, person" is from 1927. The verb is attested from 1670. On the job "hard at work" is from 1882. Jobber "one who does odd jobs" is from 1706. Job lot is from obsolete sense of "cartload, lump," which may also be ult. from gob.

Job --- the Biblical name, Heb., lit. "hated, persecuted," from ayyabh "he was hostile to," related to ebhah "enmity."

Jocelin --- masc. proper name, from O.H.G. Gautelen, lit. "Goth." The name was brought to England by the Normans. Fem. form is Jocelyn.

jock --- 1952, short for jockstrap "supporter of the male genital organs, used in sports" (1897), from jock slang for "penis" c.1650-c.1850, probably from Jock, the nickname for John, which was used generically for "common man" from 1508. Meaning "an athletic man" is from 1963, Amer.Eng. slang.

jockey --- 1529, "boy, fellow," originally a Scot. proper name, variant of Jack. The meaning "person who rides horses in races" first attested 1670.

jocose --- 1673, from L. jocosus "full of jesting, joking," from jocus "pastime, sport" (see joke). Implies ponderous humor.

jocular --- 1626, from L. jocularis "funny, comic," from joculus, dim. of jocus (see joke). Implies evasion of an issue by a joke.

jocund --- c.1380, from O.Fr. jocond, from L. jocundus, variant (infl. by jocus "joke") of jucundus "pleasant," originally "helpful," contraction of *juvicundus, from juvare "to please, benefit, help."

jodhpurs --- 1899, from Jodhpur, former state in northwestern India. The city at the heart of the state was founded 1459 by Rao Jodha, a local ruler, and is named for him.

joe --- coffee, 1941, of unknown origin. Meaning "generic fellow, man" is from 1846, from the pet-form of Joseph (q.v.). Joe college "typical college man" is from 1932. Joe Blow "average fellow" is U.S. military slang, first recorded 1941.

Joe Miller --- stale joke, 1816, from Joseph Miller (1684-1738), a comedian, whose name was affixed after his death to a popular jest-book, "Joe Miller's jests, or the Wit's Vade-mecum" (1739) compiled by John Mottley.

Joel --- masc. proper name, from Heb. Yoh'el, name of a minor O.T. prophet, lit. "the Lord is God;" the same name as Elijah (q.v.) but with the elements reversed. But the personal name that became common in Devon and Cornwall and the Breton districts of Yorkshire and the Eastern Counties immediately after the Conquest is from O.Bret. Iudhael, from Iud- "chief, lord" + hael "generous." It is the source of the modern British surname Joel, as well as Jewell, Joule and Jolson.

joe-pye weed --- 1818, said to be so called from the name of an Indian who used it to cure typhus in New England.

joey --- young kangaroo, 1839, from native Australian joè.

jog --- 1548, "to shake up and down," perhaps altered from M.E. shoggen "to shake, jolt, move with a jerk," of uncertain origin. Meanings "shake," "stir up by hint," and "walk or ride with a jolting pace" are from 16c. The main modern sense is attested from 1565 but mostly dates from 1948; at first a training regimen for athletes, it became a fad c.1967.