Etymologically
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jersey

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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
  • 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)