Etymologically
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jackpot

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈd͡ʒækpɒt/[1]

Etymology

It is a compound of jack in its card-playing sense and pot,[2] referring to a poker pot that could be opened only by a player holding a pair of jacks or better.[2][3] Random House calls it of uncertain origin.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In poker, the stakes accumulated in a game that requires a pair of jacks or better to open (1881).[2][5][3]

Semantic evolution

Jackpots were introduced into poker around 1870, according to an encyclopedia quoted by Etymonline.[2] The word passed to the top prize on a slot machine (1932)[2][5] and then to any big prize (1944).[2] To hit the jackpot, to be very successful, dates from 1938.[2][4] Earlier, in criminal slang, it meant “trouble”, especially an arrest (1902);[2] Merriam-Webster records a regional sense of “a tight spot”.[5]

Timeline

  • 1880–85 – Random House's dating.[4]
  • 1881 – the poker pot.[2][5]
  • 1902 – criminal slang, trouble, an arrest.[2]
  • 1932 – the slot-machine prize.[2]
  • 1938 – hit the jackpot.[2]
  • 1944 – any big prize.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The top prize in a game or contest, especially a large fund formed by unwon prizes, as in a lottery or on a slot machine.
  2. (poker) The accumulated stakes in a game that requires a pair of jacks or better to open.
  3. An impressive, often unexpected success or reward.
  4. (chiefly Western US) A tight spot; a jam.
  • jack
  • pot
  • jackknife

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  4. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster