Word of the Day

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

jettison

\JET-uh-suhn, JET-uh-zuhn\ , verb;

to throw goods overboard to lighten a ship or aircraft in distress

noun:

the act of throwing goods overboard when a craft is in distress; also, the goods thrown overboard

verb:

(figurative) to throw away; discard

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Quotes:

He guessed that Richardson decided to jettison the facial hair after his wife found it scratchy.

-- Liz Sidoti, Boston Globe, 2008-12-03

But with economic anxiety sweeping the public, some banks have decided to jettison traditional ads touting products and instead market traits like stability and security.

-- Paul Donski, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2008-11-28

Origin:

noun by 1425 from Anglo-Fr. getteson, from Old French getaison "act of throwing (goods overboard)," especially to lighten a ship in distress, from Late Latin jactionem, from jectare "toss about." The verb is first attested 1848.