Nearby Words

Joey

[joh-ee] Origin

jo·ey

1[joh-ee]
noun, plural -eys. Australian.
1.
any young animal, especially a kangaroo.
2.
a young child.

Origin:
1830–40; origin uncertain

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Joey is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

jo·ey

2[joh-ee]
noun, plural -eys. British Slang.
1.
a threepenny piece.
2.
(formerly) a fourpenny piece.

Origin:
1860–65; named after Joseph Hume (1777–1855), English politician who favored the coinage of the fourpenny piece

Jo·ey

[joh-ee]
noun, plural Jo·eys.
a clown, especially in the circus or pantomime and puppet theater.

Origin:
1895–1900; diminutive of Joseph, after Joseph Grimaldi

Jo·ey

[joh-ee]
noun
a male given name, form of Joe or Joseph.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
joey (ˈdʒəʊɪ)
 
n
1.  a young kangaroo or possum
2.  a young animal or child
 
[C19: from a native Australian language]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

joey
"young kangaroo," 1839, sometimes said to be from a native Australian word joè, but more recently often said to be of unknown origin. Perhaps an extended use of Joey, the familiar form of the male proper name Joseph, for which Partridge lists many common or coarse meanings in 20c. Australian slang.
EXPAND
Farmer & Henley ("Slang and Its Analogues") quote an 1887 article on "Australian Colloquialisms":
JOEY is a familiar name for anything young or small, and is applied indifferently to a puppy, or a kitten, or a child, while a WOOD-AND-WATER-JOEY is a hanger about hotels and a doer of odd jobs. COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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