jitney

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈd͡ʒɪtni/^[1]

Etymology

It is of unknown or obscure origin.^[2][3][4][5] It comes from earlier slang jitney or gitney “a nickel, five cents” (1903),^[3][6][7][4] said to be Saint Louis slang for any small coin.^[6] Etymonline suggests a route through New Orleans from French jeton “counter, token”,^[6] which Random House calls phonetically implausible.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A five-cent piece, a nickel (1903).^[7][4][3]

Semantic evolution

Buses and cars that carried passengers on a route for a fare, originally five cents, were called jitney buses and then jitneys from 1914.^[3][7][6] Etymonline notes that it is disputed whether the coin or the bus came first.^[6] The word now also refers to an unlicensed taxi.^[4][1]

Timeline

• 1903 – a nickel.^[7][4][3]
• 1906 – jitney bus, per Etymonline.^[6]
• 1914 – a cheap bus or car service.^[7][3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A small bus or van that carries passengers along a regular route for a low fare.
2. An unlicensed taxicab.
3. (old slang) A nickel.

Related words

• jeepney
• jetton

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press