Etymologically
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jitney

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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.
  • 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