jay English · revision 5544

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=borrowing|attested=before 1300|origins=la-lat gaius}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /dʒeɪ/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is Middle English jai, [[bor|fro|jai]] (Old North French gai, modern French geai),^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) from [[la-lat|gaius|t=jay]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) perhaps from the Roman name Gaius, following the custom of giving birds personal names, as with [[robin]] and [[martin]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) Etymonline thinks the word is probably imitative of the bird's harsh cry, influenced by the name Gaius.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The European jay: before 1300 in Kyng Alisaunder, according to Barnhart, and before 1310 in the OED.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) It is earlier as a surname, from the late 12th century.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ ''Jolly as a jay'' was a Middle English expression for “very happy”.^(Etymonline) A chatterer or a flashily dressed person is from the 1520s.^(Etymonline) The American blue jay, a different bird, is called jay from 1709.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) A rustic, a dupe, is American from 1884, and the adjective “worthless, fourth-rate”, as in ''a jay town'', from 1888.^(Etymonline) ''Jaywalker'', from this sense of a foolish person, is American from 1917.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * late 12th century – as a surname.^(Etymonline)

+ * before 1300 – the bird.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1520s – a chatterer.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1709 – the blue jay.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1884 – a rustic, a dupe (US).^(Etymonline)

+ * 1917 – ''jaywalker''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A noisy [[bird]] of the [[crow]] family, often with bright feathers, especially the brownish European jay or the American [[blue jay]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(informal, dated)'' A foolish or gullible person.^(Collins 2023)^(Etymonline)

+ # ''(informal)'' A person who talks too much.^(AHD)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[jaybird]]

+ * [[jaywalk]]

+ * [[scrub jay]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[jaywalker]]

+ * [[blue jay]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Jay is also the name of the letter J.^(AHD) In Devon dialect jay was a disguised form of Jesus, used as a mild oath.^(Wright 1898)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}