jitney English · revision 1399

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈd͡ʒɪtni/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is of unknown or obscure origin.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) It comes from earlier slang ''jitney'' or ''gitney'' “a nickel, five cents” (1903),^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate) said to be Saint Louis slang for any small coin.^(Etymonline) Etymonline suggests a route through New Orleans from French ''jeton'' “counter, token”,^(Etymonline) which Random House calls phonetically implausible.^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A five-cent piece, a nickel (1903).^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==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.^(Barnhart 1995)^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) Etymonline notes that it is disputed whether the coin or the bus came first.^(Etymonline) The word now also refers to an unlicensed taxi.^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1903 – a nickel.^(OED 1989)^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1906 – ''jitney bus'', per Etymonline.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1914 – a cheap bus or car service.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A small bus or van that carries passengers along a regular route for a low fare.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # An unlicensed [[taxicab]].^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(old slang)'' A [[nickel]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[jeepney]]

+ * [[jetton]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}