Lexicon: jacket – jar

a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | i | j | k | l | m | n | o | p | q | r | s | t | u | v | w | x | y | z |

123456789

jacket (-'s), n. [OFr jaquet.] (webplay: short).

  1. Waist-length coat; short outer garment to keep the upper body warm.
  2. Feathers on a bird's back, wings and head.
  3. Foliage; new leaves.

Jacob, proper n. [L. < Gk < Heb. 'heel-catcher, supplanter'; see Israel, proper n.]

Israel; birthright son of Isaac and Rebekah; man who wrestled all night with a messenger of God; father of the Israelite nation (see Genesis 27, 32; see ED's letters).

jaded, verbal adj. [unknown origin.] (webplay: fatigued).

Tired; worn out; wearied; exhausted; over-worked; [fig.] hungry looking; having a famished look.

jagged, adj. [uncertain origin.]

Rough; uneven; notched; sharply pointed; irregularly angled.

jail (-s), n. [OFr gaylle.] (webplay: prison).

  1. Prison; detention; confinement; place for those convicted of an offense; building that detains persons accused of a crime.
  2. Punishment; [fig.] hell; damnation; Hades; place of torment for the wicked.
  3. Restraint; [fig.] grammar school; institution of learning.

Jamaica (-s), proper n. [Indian Yamaca, abounding in springs < Arawak xaymaca, island of springs, land of wood and water.]

Large West Indian island; [fig.] summer; place of warmth; location full of life.

James, St., proper n. [OFr < L. < Gk. < Heb.; see Jacob, proper n.]

St. James the Greater; apostle of Jesus Christ martyred in A.D. 44 (see Acts 12:2); patron saint of Spain; shrine at Compostela, Spain; popular pilgrimage destination; depository for the relics of the apostle James; cathedral dedicated to St. James; [fig.] church; place of worship.

January, proper n. [OFr < L. Janus, god of doorways and passages.]

Mid-winter; in the first month of the year; [fig.] wintry; cold; chilly.

jar, n. [Fr. < Arabic jarrah, earthen water vessel.] (webplay: earth, glass, open).

  1. Vessel; vase; jug; bottle; cylindrical watertight container made of earthenware, stoneware, or glass.
  2. Buzz; discord; inharmonious sound; repetitive vibrating noise; [word play; see a jar, adv. and ajar, adv.; see also OED def. 2a., 1848 L. Hunt “A Jar of Honey from Mount Hybla.”]

jar (jarred), v. [poss. echoic sound.] (webplay: sound).

  1. Break; injure by impact; strike against something.
  2. Quake; rumble; shake violently.
  3. Mess up; put in disarray; tousle carelessly; [fig.] judge harshly; hold to be out of harmony.
  4. Hit; clash with; strike at; fight with; dispute with; quarrel with; conflict with.