jay1

[jey] /dʒeɪ/
noun
1.
any of several noisy, vivacious birds of the crow family, subfamily Garrulinae, as the crested Garrulus glandarius, of the Old World, having brownish plumage with blue, black, and white barring on the wings.
Compare blue jay, gray jay.
2.
Informal. a simpleminded or gullible person.
Origin
1275-35; Middle English jai < Middle French < Late Latin gāius, gāia, perhaps after Latin Gāius man's name

jay2

[jey] /dʒeɪ/
noun, Slang.
1.
a marijuana cigarette.
Origin
1970-75; probably spelling of initial consonant of joint, perhaps suggested by Pig Latin version ointjay

Jay

[jey] /dʒeɪ/
noun
1.
John, 1745–1829, U.S. statesman and jurist: first chief justice of the U.S. 1789–95.
2.
a male given name.
Examples from the web for jay
  • Such familiarity has inspired a long list of colloquial names for the gray jay.
  • An angry jack slaps her for wasting half a jay of good mooter.
British Dictionary definitions for jay

jay

/dʒeɪ/
noun
1.
any of various passerine birds of the family Corvidae (crows), esp the Eurasian Garrulus glandarius, with a pinkish-brown body, blue-and-black wings, and a black-and-white crest See also blue jay
2.
a foolish or gullible person
Word Origin
C13: from Old French jai, from Late Latin gāius, perhaps from proper name Gāius

Jay

/dʒeɪ/
noun
1.
John 1745–1829, American statesman, jurist, and diplomat; first chief justice of the Supreme Court (1789–95). He negotiated the treaty with Great Britain (Jay's treaty, 1794), that settled outstanding disputes
Word Origin and History for jay
n.

c.1300, common European bird (Garrulus glandarinus), from Old North French gai, Old French jai "magpie, jay," from Late Latin gaius "a jay," probably echoic and supposedly influenced by Latin Gaius, a common Roman proper name. For other bird names from proper names, cf. martin and parrot. Applied to the North American blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) from 1709. Applied to humans in sense of "impertinent chatterer, flashy dresser" from 1620s.

adj.

"fourth-rate, worthless" (e.g. a jay town), 1888, American English, apparently from some disparaging sense of jay (n.). Perhaps from a decaying or ironical use of jay "flashy dresser."

Slang definitions & phrases for jay

jay 1

noun
  1. A rustic; simpleton; hick, rube (1523+)
  2. An easy victim; mark, patsy, sucker (1884+ Underworld)

[fr the raucous bird]


jay 2

noun

Marijuana or a marijuana cigarette; j: Let's do up a jay and truck on down to the libo (1960s+ Narcotics)