jam

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈd͡ʒæm/^[1]

Etymology

It is of unknown origin,^[2][3] perhaps imitative,^[2][4] or symbolic.^[5] Etymonline suggests a variant of Middle English cham, to bite on, gnash (see champ).^[3] The fruit preserve is probably a special use of the verb, from crushing the fruit.^[2][3][6][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

To stick or become wedged: 1706.^[2][3][4] To press tightly is from 1719, in Defoe's Robinson Crusoe.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The preserve is from 1730–36, in Bailey's dictionary,^[2][7] and figuratively something good or sweet from 1871.^[7] The noun, a tight squeeze, is from 1805–06,^[7][3] the blocking of a machine's moving parts from 1890,^[7] and a predicament or tight spot from 1914.^[3] Radio interference is from 1914.^[3][7] In jazz, a free improvised session is from 1929, and the verb from 1935, from African-American slang jam-up, music performance;^[3] jam session is from 1933.^[7][3] Jam-packed is from 1901.^[3]

Timeline

• 1706 – to become wedged.^[2]
• 1719 – to press tightly.^[2]
• c. 1736 – fruit preserve.^[2][7]
• 1890 – a machine jam.^[7]
• 1914 – a predicament; radio jamming.^[3]
• 1929 – a jazz session.^[7]

Modern meaning

Verb

1. To squeeze or pack tightly into a space.
2. To become stuck so as to be unable to move.
3. To block a place by crowding into it.
4. To interfere with radio signals so they cannot be received.
5. (informal) To improvise music with other musicians.

Noun

1. A sweet spread made from fruit boiled with sugar; preserve.
2. A crowded mass that blocks movement: a traffic jam.
3. (informal) A difficult situation.
4. An informal session of improvised music.

Word family

• jammable
• jammer
• jammy
• jamlike
• jam-up
• logjam
• unjam
• jam session

Related words

• jam-packed
• champ

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press