jersey

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /ˈdʒɜː.zi/, US /ˈdʒɝː.zi/^[1]

Etymology

It is named after Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands,^[2][3][4][5] where the knitting of worsted goods was a staple industry.^[4] Etymonline reports that the island's name is said to be a corruption of Latin Caesarea, the Roman name for it or for a neighbouring island, influenced by Old English ēg “island”, but that it may rather be a Viking name, perhaps “Geirr's island”.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of Jersey, or of Jersey worsted, used before another noun: 1583.^[6][3] Knitted Jersey work, Jersey worsted, and then worsted in general follows in 1587,^[6][7] and combed wool ready for spinning in 1657, a sense now obsolete.^[6]

Semantic evolution

From the fabric the word passed to the garment: a close-fitting knitted woollen tunic is recorded from 1836–48,^[3][6] 1845 in Etymonline, especially one worn for sports.^[2] By 1889 a blue jersey was a seaman or bargee.^[6] The breed of dairy cattle from the island is a separate allusion to it, recorded from 1842.^[3][2][6] In American English, Jersey has also been short for New Jersey since 1758.^[2][6] In northern and Midland English dialects, as far south as Somerset, jersey or jarsey meant combed wool or worsted.^[8]

Timeline

• 1583 – of Jersey worsted.^[6][3]
• 1587 – Jersey knitted work; worsted.^[6][7]
• 1758 – short for New Jersey.^[2][6]
• 1836–48 – a knitted tunic.^[3][6]
• 1842 – a breed of cattle.^[3][2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A soft, plain-knit fabric used for clothing, or a garment made of it.
2. A close-fitting knitted pullover shirt or sweater.
3. A shirt worn by a member of a sports team, often with a number.
4. A cow of a breed of fawn-coloured dairy cattle from Jersey, giving milk rich in butterfat.

Word family

• jerseyed
• Jerseyan
• Jerseyite

Related words

• guernsey
• jersey cow

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
8. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)