noun
jenny
JEH-nee
noun
1
A machine with multiple spindles used to spin thread from raw fiber, historically important to the textile industry (short for "spinning jenny").
"The spinning jenny let one worker spin several threads at once."
2
A female donkey (or, less commonly, a female of certain other animals such as a wren).
"The farm had two jennies and one male donkey."
How to Use Jenny
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither the historic spinning machine, or a female donkey.
Common pairings
spinning jenny
jenny and jack (female and male donkey)
Word Forms
jennied past tense, jennies plural, Jennys plural, Jennies plural, jennies singular
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The spinning _____ let one worker spin several threads at once.
Etymology
From the generic use of the female given name Jenny, and partly from informal pronunciations of "engine" (as in the spinning jenny).