jay

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: jā, IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒeɪ/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪ

Etymology 1

From Middle English jay, from Old French jai ("jay"; Modern French geai), either from Late Latin gaius (“jay”), or from Old French gai (“gay, merry”), so named due to its plumage, from Old Frankish *gāhi (“quick, impetuous”), from Proto-Germanic *ganhuz, *ganhwaz (“sudden”), cognate with Dutch gaai (“jay”). More on the latter etymology at gay.

Noun

jay (plural jays)

1. Any of the numerous species of birds belonging to several genera within the family Corvidae, including Garrulus, Cyanocitta, Aphelocoma, Perisoreus, Cyanocorax, Gymnorhinus, Cyanolyca, Ptilostomus, and Calocitta, allied to the crows, but smaller, more graceful in form, often handsomely coloured, usually having a crest, and often noisy.
2. Any of various other birds of similar appearance and behaviour.
   1. The Indian roller, Coracias benghalensis.
      • 1878, Philip Stewart Robinson, In My Indian Garden:

        They are the commonality of birddom, who furnish forth the mobs which bewilder the drunken-flighted jay when he jerks, shrieking in a series of blue hyphen-flashes through the air […]

3. Any of various large papilionid butterflies of the genus Graphium.
4. (archaic) A dull or ignorant person. It survives today in the term jaywalking.
   • 1900, Harry B. Norris (lyrics and music), “Burlington Bertie”:

     Burlington Bertie's the latest young jay
     He rents a swell flat somewhere Kensington way
     He spends the good oof that his pater has made
     Along with the Brandy and Soda Brigade.

5. (obsolete) Promiscuous woman; prostitute.
   • a. 1611, William Shakespeare, Cymbeline, act 3, scene 4, lines 50–51:

     Some jay of Italy, / Whose mother was her painting, hath betray'd him:

Synonyms

• (bird): Jenny jay, jay pie, k, kae (UK); bluejay, whisky jack (US)
• (ignorant person): See Thesaurus:ignoramus
• (promiscuous woman): See Thesaurus:promiscuous woman or Thesaurus:prostitute

Hyponyms

• (bird): Old World jay, gray jay, American jay

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• Jay on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Corvidae on Wikispecies.Wikispecies

Etymology 2

Respelling of the letter jy (which see), by analogy with the following letter kay.

Noun

jay (plural jays)

1. The name of the Latin-script letter J.
2. (slang) A marijuana cigarette; a joint.
   • 2009 March 23, Caitlin Moran, The Times:

     Although sympathetic, my main reaction was to think: “Some people can handle it, and some people can’t,” and then smugly light up a big fat jay.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) letter; a, bee, cee, dee, e, ef, gee, aitch, i, jay, kay, el, em, en, o, pee, cue, ar, ess, tee, u, vee, double-u, ex, wye, zee / zed

References

• “jay”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Kaqchikel

Noun

jay

1. home

Middle English

Alternative forms

• gaye, jai, jey

Etymology

From Old French jai, from Frankish *gāhi or Late Latin gaius. Doublet of gay.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒæi̯/

Noun

jay (plural jayes)

1. jay (bird)

Descendants

• English: jay
• Scots: jay

References

• “jai, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-06-18.