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Jay

//ˈd͡ʒeɪ// name, noun, slang

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    An English surname transferred from the nickname from Old French jai (“jay (bird)”), a nickname for a chatty or showy person. countable
  2. 2
    A diminutive of the male given names James, Jacob, Jack, John, or Jason, or for any other name beginning with ⟨J⟩; also used as a formal given name.

    "“I started to think about it. He’s coming in on a two-seater experimental plane to pitch me to go on a five-seater experimental sub that he has built down to the ocean floor to see the Titanic,” Jay said."

  3. 3
    A male given name from Hindi. India
  4. 4
    A male given name transferred from the surname countable, uncountable
  5. 5
    A female given name.

    "To Lt. and Mrs. John Ellingston (Beth Vollstedt), a daughter, Jay Karen, on September 17, 1945."

Show 9 more definitions
  1. 6
    A placename; A hamlet in Leintwardine parish, Herefordshire, England; named in the c. 13th century for the Jay family, prominent in that area (OS grid ref SO3974). countable, uncountable
  2. 7
    A placename; A locale in the United States.; A town in Santa Rosa County, Florida; named for postmaster J. T. Nowling. countable, uncountable
  3. 8
    A placename; A locale in the United States.; A town in Franklin County, Maine; named for American statesman and Founding Father John Jay. countable, uncountable
  4. 9
    A placename; A locale in the United States.; A town in Essex County, New York; named for John Jay. countable, uncountable
  5. 10
    A placename; A locale in the United States.; A city, the county seat of Delaware County, Oklahoma; named for Jay Washburn, nephew of Cherokee leader Stand Watie. countable, uncountable
  6. 11
    A placename; A locale in the United States.; A town on the Canadian border in Orleans County, Vermont; named for John Jay. countable, uncountable
  7. 12
    A placename; A locale in the United States.; A township in Martin County, Minnesota. countable, uncountable
  8. 13
    A placename; A locale in the United States.; A township in Elk County, Pennsylvania. countable, uncountable
  9. 14
    A placename; A locale in the United States.; A former settlement in California. countable, uncountable
Noun
  1. 1
    Any of the numerous species of birds belonging to several genera within the family Corvidae, including Garrulus, Cyanocitta, Aphelocoma, Perisoreus, Cyanocorax, Gymnorhinus, Cyanolyca, Ptilostomus, and Calocitta, allied to the crows, but smaller, more graceful in form, often handsomely coloured, usually having a crest, and often noisy.
  2. 2
    The name of the Latin script letter J/j.
  3. 3
    Alternative letter-case form of jay. alt-of
  4. 4
    crested largely blue bird wordnet
  5. 5
    Any of various other birds of similar appearance and behaviour.
Show 5 more definitions
  1. 6
    A marijuana cigarette; a joint. slang

    "Although sympathetic, my main reaction was to think: “Some people can handle it, and some people can’t,” and then smugly light up a big fat jay."

  2. 7
    Any of various other birds of similar appearance and behaviour.; The Indian roller, Coracias benghalensis.

    "They are the commonality of birddom, who furnish forth the mobs which bewilder the drunken-flighted jay when he jerks, shrieking in a series of blue hyphen-flashes through the air […]"

  3. 8
    Any of various large papilionid butterflies of the genus Graphium.
  4. 9
    A dull or ignorant person. It survives today in the term jaywalking. archaic

    "Burlington Bertie's the latest young jay He rents a swell flat somewhere Kensington way He spends the good oof that his pater has made Along with the Brandy and Soda Brigade."

  5. 10
    Promiscuous woman; prostitute. obsolete

    "Some jay of Italy, / Whose mother was her painting, hath betray'd him:"

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English jay, from Old French jai ("jay"; Modern French geai), either from Late Latin gaius (“jay”), or from Old French gai (“gay, merry”), so named due to its plumage, from Old Frankish *gāhi (“quick, impetuous”), from Proto-Germanic *ganhuz, *ganhwaz (“sudden”), cognate with Dutch gaai (“jay”). More at gay.

Etymology 2

Respelling of the letter jy (which see), by analogy with the following letter kay.

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Hindi जय (jay, literally “victory”).

See also for "jay"

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