jo

The word “jo” means a sweetheart or darling (chiefly Scots). In plain terms, an old Scots term of endearment, or a martial-arts staff — two unrelated words that happen to be spelled the same.

“Jo” is pronounced jo (/d͡ʒoː/ in IPA).

Here is “jo” used in a sentence: “The old ballad calls out to "my bonnie jo.".”

“Jo” is a noun.

The word “jo” comes from Latin. The "sweetheart" sense comes from Scots jo ("joy"), tracing back through Old French joie to Latin gaudia; a doublet of "joy.".

“Jo” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Jo” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a sweetheart or darling (chiefly Scots).

Yes. In Scots, a jo is a sweetheart or darling, and the word appears as a term of endearment in older Scottish songs and poems. It is now rare outside deliberately Scots or literary contexts.

Both are wooden staffs used in Japanese martial arts, but the jo is the shorter of the two and is the central weapon of jōdō, the art built around it. The bo is a longer staff used in its own staff arts.

Jo is listed in major Scrabble word lists as a valid two-letter word, defined as a sweetheart, and its plural joes is also playable. That makes jo a handy way to place the J tile on a tight board.