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john

[jon]

Example Sentences Origin

noun Slang.

a toilet or bathroom.

(sometimes initial capital letter) a fellow; guy.

(sometimes initial capital letter) a prostitute's customer.

Origin:
generic use of the proper name

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John is always a great word to know.

So is wired. Does it mean:

raucous or querulous speech; a noisy, foolish utterance

tense with excitement or anticipation; edgy

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Example Sentences

John probably sees himself as a hardworking and dedicated professional.

John says he is also experimenting with different size nanoparticles.

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

the apostle John, believed to be the author of the fourth Gospel, three Epistles, and the book of Revelation.

John the Baptist.

(John Lackland), 1167?–1216, king of England 1199–1216; signer of the Magna Carta 1215 (son of Henry II of England).

Augustus Edwin, 1878–1961, British painter and etcher.

Elton (Reginald Kenneth Dwight), born 1947, English rock singer, pianist, and songwriter.

EXPAND

the fourth Gospel.

any of the three Epistles of John: I, II, or III John.

a male given name.

COLLAPSE

Origin:
Middle English John, Johan, Jon < Medieval Latin Jō(h)annēs < Greek Iōánnēs < Hebrew Yōhānān, derivative of Yehōhānān God has been gracious

noun

Saint, died a.d. 526, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 523–526.

(“the Great”), 1357–1433, king of Portugal 1385–1433.

noun

(Mercurius), died a.d. 535, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 533–535.

noun

(Catelinus), died a.d. 574, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 561–574.

(John Sobieski), 1624–96, king of Poland 1674–96.

noun

died a.d. 642, pope 640–642.

noun

died a.d. 686, pope 685–686.

noun

died a.d. 705, Greek ecclesiastic: pope 701–705.

noun

died a.d. 707, Greek ecclesiastic: pope 705–707.

noun

died a.d. 882, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 872–882.

noun

died a.d. 900, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 898–900.

noun

died a.d. 929?, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 914–928.

noun

died a.d. 936, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 931–936.

noun

(Octavian), died a.d. 964, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 955–964.

noun

died a.d. 972, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 965–972.

noun

died a.d. 984, pope 983–984.

noun

died a.d. 996, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 985–996.

noun

(Sicco), died 1003, pope 1003.

noun

(Fasanus), died 1009, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1003–09.

noun

died 1032, pope 1024–32.

noun

(Petrus Hispanus), died 1277, Portuguese ecclesiastic: pope 1276–77.

noun

(Jacques Duèse), c1244–1334, French ecclesiastic: pope 1316–34.

noun

(Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli), 1881–1963, Italian ecclesiastic: pope 1958–63.

noun

John. John Barleycorn.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To john

Collins

World English Dictionary

john (dʒɒn)

—n
1.	chiefly (US), (Canadian) a slang word for lavatory
2.	slang chiefly (US) a prostitute's client
3.	slang (Austral) short for John Hop

[C20: special use of the proper name]

John (dʒɒn)

—n
1.	New Testament
	a. the apostle John, the son of Zebedee, identified with the author of the fourth Gospel, three epistles, and the book of Revelation. Feast day: Dec 27 or Sept 26
	b. the fourth Gospel
	c. any of three epistles (in full The First, Second, and Third Epistles of John)
2.	See John the Baptist
3.	known as John Lackland. 1167--1216, king of England (1199--1216); son of Henry II. He succeeded to the throne on the death of his brother Richard I, having previously tried to usurp the throne. War with France led to the loss of most of his French possessions. After his refusal to recognize Stephen Langton as archbishop of Canterbury an interdict was imposed on England (1208--14). In 1215 he was compelled by the barons to grant the Magna Carta
4.	called the Fearless. 1371--1419, duke of Burgundy (1404--19). His attempt to control the mad king Charles VI and his murder of the king's brother led to civil war: assassinated
5.	Augustus (Edwin). 1878--1961, British painter, esp of portraits
6.	Barry born 1945, Welsh Rugby Union footballer: halfback for Wales (1966--72) and the British Lions (1968--71)
7.	Sir Elton (Hercules). original name Reginald Dwight. born 1947, British rock pianist, composer, and singer; his hits include "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (1973) and "Candle in the Wind 1997" (1997), a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales
8.	Gwen, sister of Augustus John. 1876--1939, British painter, working in France: noted esp for her portraits of women

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

John

masc. proper name, c.1160, from M.L. Johannes, from L.L. Joannes, from Gk. Ioannes, from Heb. Yohanan (in full y'hohanan) lit. "Jehovah has favored," from hanan "he was gracious." As the name of John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, it was one of the most common Christian given names, and in England

EXPAND

by early 14c. it rivaled William in popularity. O.Fr. form was Jean, but in England its variants Johan, Jehan yielded Jan, Jen (cf. surname Jensen). Welsh form was Ieuan, (see Evan), but Ioan was adopted for the Welsh Authorized Version of the Bible, hence frequency of Jones as a Welsh surname. Feminine form was Joan, Latinized as Johanna. Colloquial John Hancock "signature" (1903, sometimes, through some unexplainable error, John Henry) is from the signer of the Declaration of Independence, either from his signing first or most prominently. The family name is attested from 1276 in Yorkshire, a dim. (see cock) of Hann, a very common given name in 13c. Yorkshire as a pet name for Henry or John. Johnny-come-lately first attested 1839.

john

"toilet," 1932, probably from jack, jakes, used for "toilet" since 16c. (see jack). Meaning "prostitute's customer" is from 1911, probably from the common, and thus anonymous, name by which they identified themselves.

COLLAPSE

Slang Dictionary

john definition

n.
a toilet; a bathroom. : Is there another john around here?
n.
a man. : This john came up and asked if I had seen the girl in a picture he had.
n.
a prostitute's customer. : She led the john into an alley where Lefty robbed him.
n.
a victim of a crime or deception; a sucker. : The john went straight to the cops and told the whole thing.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Easton

Bible Dictionary

John definition

(1.) One who, with Annas and Caiaphas, sat in judgment on the apostles Peter and John (Acts 4:6). He was of the kindred of the high priest; otherwise unknown. (2.) The Hebrew name of Mark (q.v.). He is designated by this name in the acts of the Apostles (12:12, 25; 13:5, 13; 15:37). (3.) THE APOSTLE, brother of James the "Greater" (Matt. 4:21; 10:2; Mark 1:19; 3:17; 10:35). He was one, probably the younger, of the sons of Zebedee (Matt. 4:21) and Salome (Matt. 27:56; comp. Mark 15:40), and was born at Bethsaida. His father was apparently a man of some wealth (comp. Mark 1:20; Luke 5:3; John 19:27). He was doubtless trained in all that constituted the ordinary education of Jewish youth. When he grew up he followed the occupation of a fisherman on the Lake of Galilee. When John the Baptist began his ministry in the wilderness of Judea, John, with many others, gathered round him, and was deeply influenced by his teaching. There he heard the announcement, "Behold the Lamb of God," and forthwith, on the invitation of Jesus, became a disciple and ranked among his followers (John 1:36, 37) for a time. He and his brother then returned to their former avocation, for how long is uncertain. Jesus again called them (Matt. 4: 21; Luke 5:1-11), and now they left all and permanently attached themselves to the company of his disciples. He became one of the innermost circle (Mark 5:37; Matt. 17:1; 26:37; Mark 13:3). He was the disciple whom Jesus loved. In zeal and intensity of character he was a "Boanerges" (Mark 3:17). This spirit once and again broke out (Matt. 20:20-24; Mark 10:35-41; Luke 9:49, 54). At the betrayal he and Peter follow Christ afar off, while the others betake themselves to hasty flight (John 18:15). At the trial he follows Christ into the council chamber, and thence to the praetorium (18:16, 19, 28) and to the place of crucifixion (19:26, 27). To him and Peter, Mary first conveys tidings of the resurrection (20:2), and they are the first to go and see what her strange words mean. After the resurrection he and Peter again return to the Sea of Galilee, where the Lord reveals himself to them (21:1, 7). We find Peter and John frequently after this together (Acts 3:1; 4:13). John remained apparently in Jerusalem as the leader of the church there (Acts 15:6; Gal. 2:9). His subsequent history is unrecorded. He was not there, however, at the time of Paul's last visit (Acts 21:15-40). He appears to have retired to Ephesus, but at what time is unknown. The seven churches of Asia were the objects of his special care (Rev. 1:11). He suffered under persecution, and was banished to Patmos (1:9); whence he again returned to Ephesus, where he died, probably about A.D. 98, having outlived all or nearly all the friends and companions even of his maturer years. There are many interesting traditions regarding John during his residence at Ephesus, but these cannot claim the character of historical truth.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia

John

statesman and writer best known for his swift-paced adventure stories. His 50 books, all written in his spare time while pursuing an active career in politics, diplomacy, and publishing, include many historical novels and biographies.

Learn more about Buchan, John, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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