JAY

jay

(noun) crested largely blue bird

Jay, John Jay

(noun) United States diplomat and jurist who negotiated peace treaties with Britain and served as the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1745-1829)

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Proper noun

Jay

An English surname from Old French jai (“jay (bird)”), a nickname for a chatty or showy person.

A hamlet in Herefordshire, England; named in the c. 13th century for the Jay family, prominent in that area.

A locale in United States.

A town in Maine; named for American statesman and Founding Father John Jay.

A town in New York; named for John Jay.

A city, the county seat of Delaware County, Oklahoma; named for Jay Washburn, nephew of Cherokee leader Stand Watie.

A town in Florida; named for postmaster J. T. Nowling.

A town on the Canadian border in Vermont; named for John Jay.

A former settlement in California.

Etymology 2

Proper noun

Jay

A diminutive of the male given names James, Jason, or for any name beginning with ⟨J⟩; also used as a formal given name.

A female given name

Etymology 1

Noun

jay (plural jays)

Any one 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.

Other birds of similar appearance and behaviour.

Any of various large papilionid butterflies of the genus Graphium.

(archaic) A dull or ignorant person. It survives today in the term jaywalking.

(obsolete) Promiscuous woman; prostitute.

Synonyms

• (bird): Jenny jay, jay pie, k, kae (UK); bluejay, whisky jack (US)

• (ignorant person): See ignoramus

• (promiscuous woman): See promiscuous woman or prostitute

Hyponyms

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

Etymology 2

Noun

jay (plural jays)

The name of the Latin-script letter J.

(slang) A marijuana cigarette; a joint.

Source: Wiktionary


Jay, n. Etym: [F. geai, OF. gai, jaj, perh. fr. OHG. gahi. Cf. Gay.] (Zoöl.)

Definition: Any one of the numerous species of birds belonging to Garrulus, Cyanocitta, and allied genera. They are allied to the crows, but are smaller, more graceful in form, often handsomely colored, and usually have a crest.

Note: The European jay (Garrulus glandarius) is a large and handsomely colored species, having the body pale reddish brown, lighter beneath; tail and wing quills blackish; the primary coverts barred with bright blue and black; throat, tail coverts, and a large spot on the wings, white. Called also jay pie, Jenny jay, and kæ. The common blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata.), and the related species, are brilliantly colored, and have a large erectile crest. The California jay (Aphelocoma Californica), the Florida jay (A. Floridana), and the green jay (Xanthoura luxuosa), of Texas and Mexico, are large, handsome, crested species. The Canada jay (Perisoreus Canadensis), and several allied species, are much plainer and have no crest. See Blue jay, and Whisky jack. Jay thrush (Zoöl.), any one several species of Asiatic singing birds, of the genera Garrulax, Grammatoptila, and related genera of the family Crateropodidæ; as; the white-throated jay thrush (G. albogularis), of India.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

29 March 2024

FAULTFINDING

(adjective) tending to make moral judgments or judgments based on personal opinions; “a counselor tries not to be faultfinding”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, on 25 September 2016, the Birla Institute of Management Technology (India) in Uttar Pradesh, India, constructed the largest coffee cups pyramid consisting of 23,821 cups. They used paper takeaway coffee cups to build the pyramid.

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