joey English · revision 15069

+ {{infobox|confidence=uncertain|attested=1839}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ˈdʒəʊ.i/, US /ˈdʒoʊ.i/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is often said to come from an Australian Aboriginal word joè,^(Hoad 1986)^(NODE 1998)^(MWU 2024)^(Collins 2023) but Etymonline notes that it is now more often called of unknown origin, perhaps an extended use of the name Joey, a pet form of Joseph.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A young kangaroo: 1839.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It came to mean any young animal or a child.^(OED 1989)^(Collins 2023) An 1887 article on Australian colloquialisms called joey a familiar name for anything young or small, a puppy, a kitten or a child, and a ''wood-and-water joey'' a man who hung about hotels doing odd jobs.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1839 – a young kangaroo.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1887 – anything young or small.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(Australia, informal)'' A young [[kangaroo]] or [[possum]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A young animal or a child.^(OED 1989)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[kangaroo]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Joey, a fourpenny piece (1865) and later a threepenny bit (1936), and Joey, a clown (1896), come from the pet name.^(OED 1989)^(NODE 1998) In English dialects a joey was also a green linnet or a starling.^(Wright 1898)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}