Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Nearby Words

Jay

 - 8 dictionary results

jay

1  [jey]
Use Jay in a Sentence
–noun
1. any of several noisy, vivacious birds of the crow family, subfamily Garrulinae, as the crested Garrulus glandarius, of the Old World, having brownish plumage with blue, black, and white barring on the wings. Compare blue jay, gray jay.
2. Informal. a simpleminded or gullible person.
Origin:
1275–35; ME jai < MF < LL gāius, gāia, perh. after L Gāius man's name

jay

2  [jey]
–noun Slang.
a marijuana cigarette.
Origin:
1970–75; prob. sp. of initial consonant of joint, perh. suggested by Pig Latin version ointjay

Jay

  [jey]
–noun
1. John, 1745–1829, U.S. statesman and jurist: first Chief Justice of the U.S. 1789–95.
2. a male given name.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Jay
jay 1   (jā)   
n.  The letter j.
jay 2   (jā)   
n.  

  1. Any of various often crested birds of the genera Garrulus, Cyanocitta, Aphelocoma, and related genera within the family Corvidae, often having a loud, harsh call. Also called jaybird.

  2. An overly talkative person; a chatterbox.


[Middle English jai, from Old French, from Late Latin gāius, gāia, perhaps from Latin Gāius, personal name.]
Jay   (jā)   
American diplomat and jurist who served in both Continental Congresses and helped negotiate peace with Great Britain (1782-1783). He was the first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1789-1795) and negotiated a second agreement with Great Britain, Jay's Treaty (1794-1795).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
J

and jay
  1. n.
    a marijuana cigarette; marijuana. (Drugs. From the initial letter of joint.) : A jay will cost you two clams.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see Jay on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way