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joust

Etymology and origin of the English word joust

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /d͡ʒaʊst/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English justen,[2][3] borrowed from Old French juster, jouster “to tilt, to fight in single combat”,[4][2][5][6][3] from Vulgar Latin *iuxtāre (“to approach, to be next to”),[4][2][5][6][3] from Latin iuxtā (“near, beside”),[4][2][5][6][3] related to iungere “to join”.[2][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

As a verb, “to join, ally oneself” (c. 1250), obsolete;[7][2] as a noun, a combat on horseback between two knights with lances (1297).[7][5]

Semantic evolution

By about 1300 the verb meant “to fight on horseback with a lance”.[7][5] The Middle English noun was usually plural, for a series of contests and the accompanying festivities.[5][7] Early tournaments were rough affairs in which groups fought to capture opponents' horses and ransoms.[5] The usual old spelling and pronunciation was just, which survives in the surname Juster.[5] Figuratively joust is used of any personal contest, such as a debate.[4][6][3]

Timeline

  • c. 1250 – verb, to join, to ally oneself (obsolete).[7][2]
  • 1297 – noun, a combat between mounted knights.[7]
  • c. 1300 – verb, to fight on horseback with lances.[7][5]
  • 1377 – figurative uses.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A combat between two mounted knights or men-at-arms with lances; a tilting match.
  2. A series of such contests; a tournament.
  3. A personal competition or struggle.

Verb

  1. To fight on horseback with lances; to tilt.
  2. To engage in a personal contest or competition, as in jousting debaters.

Word family

  • jouster
  • jostle
  • adjust
  • juxtapose
  • tilt

References

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

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Joust.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/joust. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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