noun
Common
jo
jo
Jo (noun) means a sweetheart or darling (chiefly Scots). Example: “Come here, my wee jo, and let me tell you a story.”
noun
1
A sweetheart or darling (chiefly Scots).
"Come here, my wee jo, and let me tell you a story."
"The grandmother called the little girl her own dear jo."
"The old ballad calls out to "my bonnie jo.""
2
A wooden staff used in the Japanese martial art of jōdō.
"He held the wooden jo firmly and stepped forward to begin the drill."
"The instructor showed us how to grip the jo with both hands."
"Students practiced strikes and blocks with the jo."
How to use jo
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn old Scots term of endearment, or a martial-arts staff — two unrelated words that happen to be spelled the same.
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Word forms
- Plural
- jos
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Come here, my wee _____, and let me tell you a story.
Etymology
The "sweetheart" sense comes from Scots jo ("joy"), tracing back through Old French joie to Latin gaudia; a doublet of "joy."
Synonyms
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Frequently asked questions
What does “jo” mean?
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.
How do you pronounce “jo”?
“Jo” is pronounced jo (/d͡ʒoː/ in IPA).
How do you use “jo” in a sentence?
Here is “jo” used in a sentence: “The old ballad calls out to "my bonnie jo.".”
What part of speech is “jo”?
“Jo” is a noun.
Where does the word “jo” come from?
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.".
Is “jo” a common word?
“Jo” is a fairly common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “jo” have?
“Jo” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a sweetheart or darling (chiefly Scots).
Is jo a Scottish word for sweetheart?
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.
What is the difference between a jo and a bo staff?
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.
Is jo a valid word in Scrabble?
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.
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