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“J” Words

JA
adv
Yes (used in imitation of German or Scandinavian speech, or as a dialect word in some English varieties).
jab
noun
A quick, sharp poke or short straight punch.
Jabbar
name
A surname of Arabic origin, meaning "mighty" or "powerful."
jabbee
noun
One who is jabbed; a person receiving a hypodermic injection, especially of a COVID-19 vaccine.
jabber
verb
To talk quickly and unclearly, often about nothing important.
jabbering
noun
Fast, unclear talk; the act of chattering nonsensically.
Jabberwocky
name
The title of a famous nonsense poem in Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking-Glass", built almost entirely from invented words.
jabbing
noun
A quick poking or punching motion; the act of jabbing.
Jabez
name
A male given name of Hebrew origin, mentioned briefly in the Bible.
Jabs
name
A German surname.
Jace
name
A male given name, a modern diminutive of Jason.
Jacinta
name
A female given name of Spanish origin, a variant of Jacinda.
jacinth
noun
A translucent, reddish type of zircon used as a gemstone; a hyacinth.
jack
noun
A mechanical device used to lift something heavy off the ground, especially to raise a car to change a tyre.
jackal
noun
A wild, dog-like animal related to wolves, native to Africa and parts of Asia, typically smaller than a wolf.
jackanapes
noun
(A proper name for) an ape or monkey, especially a tame one kept for entertainment or as a pet.
jackaninny
noun
A foolish or incompetent person.
jackass
noun
A male donkey.
jackboot
noun
A glossy leather calf-covering military boot, commonly associated with German soldiers of the WWII era.
jacked
adjective
Slang: high on drugs, alcohol, or stimulants.
jacket
noun
A garment for the upper body, worn over a shirt, usually reaching the waist or thigh.
jackfish
noun
A jack (in any of the senses referring to types of fish).
jackfruit
noun
A tree, Artocarpus heterophyllus, of the Moraceae family, which produces edible fruit.
jackhammer
noun
A heavy power tool that pounds a chisel-like bit to break up rock, concrete, or asphalt.
Jackie
noun
A familiar nickname for someone named Jack, Jacques, or John, or (for women) for Jacqueline.
jacking
noun
Slang for a robbery carried out in the street, especially by force or threat.
jacklight
noun
A spotlight or lamp mounted on a car, boat or pole, etc. to aid in hunting.
jackman
noun
A member of a motor racing pit crew whose job is to lift the car with a jack during a pit stop.
Jacko
noun
A casual nickname for someone named Jack or Jackson.
jackoff
noun
A jerkoff (mean, nasty, or obnoxious person), a jerk, an asshole.
jackpot
noun
A large cash prize, especially in gambling, that grows until someone wins it.
jackrabbit
noun
Any of several large, long-eared North American hares known for their speed.
jacks
noun
A children's game played by tossing and catching small metal or plastic pieces along with a ball.
Jackson
noun
Informal American slang for a twenty-dollar bill, from the portrait of President Andrew Jackson on it.
Jacksonville
name
The largest city in Florida, United States, seat of Duval County; also the name of many other towns across the US.
jacktar
noun
A sailor; especially, one in the Royal Navy.
Jacky
noun
An informal nickname for Jack, Jacques, or John.
Jaco
name
A surname of Portuguese, Italian, or Czech origin.
Jacob
noun
A male given name of Hebrew origin, historically the name of the biblical patriarch and father of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Jacobi
name
A German surname derived from the given name Jacob.
jacobin
noun
Synonym of Dominican, a member of the Dominican Order, particularly its French chapter.
jacobinic
adj
Synonym of Jacobin, of or relating to the Jacobins of France.
jacobinical
adj
Synonym of Jacobin, of, related to, or characteristic of the Jacobins of France.
Jacobite
noun
A supporter of the exiled Stuart royal family's claim to the English and Scottish thrones in the late 1600s and 1700s.
jacobitism
noun
The political movement dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland.
Jacobs
noun
British slang for testicles.
Jacobsen
name
A surname of Scandinavian origin, meaning "son of Jacob."
Jacobson
noun
An English surname meaning "son of Jacob."
jacobus
noun
A former English gold coin from the Jacobite period.
Jacoby
name
A surname and male given name derived from Jacob.
Jacqueline
name
A female given name of French origin, the feminine form of Jacques (equivalent to James).
Jacques
name
A male given name and surname of French origin, equivalent to English James or Jacob.
Jacqui
name
A diminutive of the female given name Jacqueline.
Jacquie
name
A diminutive of the female given name Jacqueline.
jactitate
verb
To move about restlessly.
jactitation
noun
Bragging or boasting, especially in a false manner to another's detriment.
jacuzzi
noun
A hot tub fitted with underwater jets that massage the body with bubbling water.
Jada
name
A female given name, a variant of Jade popularized in the 2000s.
jade
noun
A hard, typically green semiprecious stone often carved into jewelry and figurines.
jaded
adjective
Tired of or unenthusiastic about something because of too much exposure to it.
jadeite
noun
A pyroxene mineral, a sodium aluminium silicate with the chemical formula Na(Al,Fe³⁺)Si₂O₆, found in metamorphic rocks.
Jaden
noun
A modern unisex given name, a variant spelling of Jayden.
jaeger
noun
Any of several predatory seabirds known for chasing other birds to steal their food.
jael
name
A female given name from Hebrew.
Jafar
name
A male given name of Arabic and Persian origin.
Jaffa
noun
A type of sweet, typically seedless orange named after the port city of Jaffa.
Jaffe
name
A Jewish surname of Hebrew origin, meaning "beautiful."
jag
verb
To cut or tear something unevenly, leaving a rough, sharp edge.
jagannath
name
One of the names of Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu.
jagged
adjective
Having a rough, sharply uneven edge or surface.
jagger
noun
A wheeled tool with a serrated edge used for crimping or cutting decorative patterns in pastry.
jaggery
noun
An unrefined, dark brown sugar made by boiling down palm or sugarcane sap, common in South and Southeast Asian cooking.
Jaggi
name
A surname of either Swiss German or Punjabi origin.
jaggy
adj
jagged, toothed or serrated
Jago
name
A Cornish surname and given name, a variant of James derived ultimately from Jacob.
jagoff
noun
An irritating, inept, or repugnant person.
jagua
noun
A tree of species Genipa americana, native to the tropical forests of North and South America, as well as the Caribbean; genipap.
jaguar
noun
A large spotted wild cat native to Central and South America, the biggest cat species in the Americas.
jagweed
noun
A rude or obnoxious person; a jerk.
Jah
name
A name for God, especially as used in Rastafarian belief, shortened from the Hebrew name of God.
Jahan
name
A unisex given name of Persian origin, meaning "world."
Jai
name
A male given name of Sanskrit origin, meaning "victory," used mainly in India.
jaiden
name
A unisex given name originating as a coinage, variant of Jayden.
jail
noun
A building where people are held in custody, typically for short sentences or while awaiting trial.
jailbait
noun
A sexually mature person below, or appearing to be below, the legal age of consent, who is regarded, usually by an adult, as being sexually attractive and/or seductive.
jailbird
noun
Someone who has been, or currently is, in jail — usually said of a repeat offender.
jailbreak
noun
An escape from prison.
jailer
noun
A person whose job is to guard prisoners in a jail.
jailhouse
noun
A building used as a jail.
jaime
name
A unisex given name.
Jain
adj
Relating to Jainism, the ancient Indian religion built around nonviolence toward all living things.
jainist
noun
a follower of Jainism, a religion based primarily in India
Jaipur
name
The capital city of the Indian state of Rajasthan, famous for its pink-hued old town.
jak
name
A male given name of rare usage, variant of Jack
Jakarta
name
The capital and largest city of Indonesia.
jake
adj
Fine, acceptable, or satisfactory — an old-fashioned slang term.
jakes
noun
An old-fashioned word for an outdoor toilet or outhouse.
jakeshouse
noun
An outbuilding with a jakes: an outhouse.
jakey
noun
Slang, chiefly British and Scottish, for a homeless person who drinks heavily.
Jakob
name
A male given name, a variant spelling of "Jacob" common in German and Scandinavian languages.
Jal
name
A small city in Lea County, New Mexico.
jalopy
noun
An old, run-down car, especially one that still somehow runs.
jalousie
noun
A component in a ventilation system.
jam
noun
A sweet spread made by boiling fruit with sugar until it thickens.
Jamaica
name
An island country in the Caribbean Sea, known for reggae music and its distinct culture.
Jamaican
adj
Relating to Jamaica, its people, culture, or language.
Jamal
name
A male given name of Arabic origin, meaning "beauty."
jamb
noun
Either of the two upright side posts of a doorway, window or fireplace, which the frame and hinges are fixed to.
jambalaya
noun
A Louisiana rice dish, typically made with meat, seafood, and vegetables cooked together with spices.
jambeau
noun
A piece of armour for the leg (especially below the knee), a greave.
jambo
noun
A member or fan of Heart of Midlothian F.C., a Scottish football club.
jamboree
noun
A lively, large-scale celebration or gathering.
jamborette
noun
A small or short jamboree
jambuster
noun
A doughnut filled with jam.
James
name
A common English male given name, traditionally derived from the Hebrew name that also gives us "Jacob."
Jameson
name
A Scottish and Northern Irish surname meaning "son of James."
Jamestown
name
The name of several towns and places in English-speaking countries, most famously the first permanent English settlement in North America, founded in 1607.
jamie
name
A unisex given name.
Jamieson
name
A surname meaning "son of Jamie."
Jamil
name
A male given name of Arabic origin, meaning "beautiful" or "handsome."
Jamila
name
A female given name of Arabic origin, meaning "beautiful."
Jamison
name
A Scottish surname, and sometimes a given name, meaning "son of Jamie."
jammed
adj
Stuck fast and unable to move.
Jammer
noun
A device that blocks or disrupts radio, phone, or other signals by broadcasting interference.
jamming
noun
The act of blocking or getting something stuck.
jammy
adj
Covered in or tasting of jam.
Jan
name
A given name, used for both men and women in different languages — a male name equivalent to "John" in Dutch, German, and Slavic languages, and a shortened female name elsewhere.
Jana
name
A female given name, common in Czech and other Central European languages.
janaka
name
An ancient king of Videha. The Janaka dynasty ruled the Videha kingdom in the Mithila region from the capital city of the same name.
Janaki
name
A female given name from Sanskrit, also used as another name for the goddess Sita in the Hindu epic the Ramayana.
Jane
name
A common female given name, the standard feminine form of "John" in English since the 1600s.
Janelle
name
A female given name, formed as an elaboration of "Jane."
janessa
name
A female given name originating as a coinage.
Janet
name
A female given name, a diminutive of Jane, historically common in Scotland.
Janette
name
A female given name, a variant of Janet.
Janeway
name
A surname, notably borne by the fictional Star Trek captain Kathryn Janeway.
Janey
name
A diminutive of the female given name Jane, also a surname.
Jang
noun
A group of fermented seasoning pastes, such as soy sauce or soybean paste, used as the flavor base in Korean cooking.
jangle
verb
To make, or cause something to make, a harsh rattling or clanging sound.
jangler
noun
Someone who, or something that jangles.
jangling
noun
The rattling, clanging sound made by things like keys, chains, or coins knocking together.
Janice
name
A female given name, a variant of Jane influenced by names like Alice and Bernice.
janiceps
noun
conjoined twins whose heads are fused together but look in opposite directions
Janie
name
A diminutive of the female given name Jane.
Janine
name
A female given name of French origin, related to Jeanne and Jane.
Janis
name
A female given name, a variant of Janice, notably borne by singer Janis Joplin.
janitor
noun
A person employed to clean and maintain a building, such as a school or office.
janitorial
adj
Relating to the cleaning and maintenance work of a janitor.
Janko
name
A male given name found in Slavic languages.
jann
noun
The father of the jinn preceding humanity.