Java

[ jah-vuh or, especially for 2, jav-uh ]
See synonyms for Java on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the main island of Indonesia. 51,032 sq. mi. (132,173 sq. km).

  2. (usually lowercase)Slang. coffee: a cup of java.

Trademark.
  1. Digital Technology. a brand name for a high-level, object-oriented programming language used primarily to build web-based applications.

Origin of Java

1
1550–60; of obscure origin; possibly from Sanskrit yāvadvīpa, yāvaka dvīpa “barley island” (the island was well known for the barley plant)

Words Nearby Java

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Java in a sentence

  • He did not wait till the ships were side by side, but began firing when the Java was half a mile away.

  • The Constitution was sound and whole; the Java had only her mainmast left and was full of yawning rents.

  • She has not been blind to the fact that her neighbor, England, has been jealous of some of her colonies, especially of Java.

    Ways of War and Peace | Delia Austrian
  • "One of my Java boys tells me the report is current in Bulungan that we are to be attacked to-morrow," he announced.

    The Argus Pheasant | John Charles Beecham
  • On the 26th, saw the island of Java; and on the 30th, anchored at Samarang.

    Voyage of H.M.S. Pandora | Edward Edwards

British Dictionary definitions for Java (1 of 2)

Java1

/ (ˈdʒɑːvə) /


noun
  1. an island of Indonesia, south of Borneo, from which it is separated by the Java Sea : politically the most important island of Indonesia; it consists chiefly of active volcanic mountains and is densely forested. It came under Dutch control in 1596 and became part of Indonesia in 1949. It is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Capital: Jakarta. Pop (with Madura): 121 352 608 (2000 est). Area: 132 174 sq km (51 032 sq miles): Former spelling: Djawa

British Dictionary definitions for Java (2 of 2)

Java2

/ (ˈdʒɑːvə) /


noun
  1. trademark a programming language especially applicable to the Internet

Origin of Java

2
C20: named after Java coffee, said to be consumed in large quantities by the language's creators

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Java

Java

[ (jah-vuh) ]


Island in Indonesia, south of Borneo.

Notes for Java

Java is one of the world's most densely populated regions.

Notes for Java

It was under Dutch rule from 1619 to 1949.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.