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jams
1[ jamz ]
Jams
2[ jamz ]
- a brand of baggy, brightly patterned, knee-length swim trunks.
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Word History and Origins
Origin of jams1
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Example Sentences
More road closures mean more detours and traffic jams, and more money on gasoline.
Besides the weekly rehearsals at the Elks Lodge, Azinger jams with men and women at the local retirement home.
The severe traffic jams that ensued wrought chaos in and around the Hudson River town of Fort Lee.
But, more importantly, I have spent approximately 2,378,271 hours to date listening to public radio while sitting in traffic jams.
The rock-clad town is now famous for meat products like chorizo, along with olive oil, almonds, and jams.
He knew how to use the water, how to recognise the key log of jams, where to place his men—in short, he could get out the logs.
Perhaps it is well here to explain that ordinarily such a cabin-door merely jams shut against the spring of a wand of hickory.
“The combination is enough to give even a sober man the jim-jams,” agreed Kit.
And when you think of a jar here don't think of one of the tiny affairs such as Americans use for preserves and jams.
A very small per cent of the jams and jellies sold are strictly pure.
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More About Jams
What does jams mean?
Jams is a very informal word for pajamas—the clothes you wear to sleep in.
The word jammies means the same thing but is more common. Terms like jammies, jams, and jam-jams are typically used by children, adults speaking to children, or people using childish words to be silly. A more common synonym for pajamas is p.j.’s, which is informal but not as informal as jammies.
You could say that whatever clothes children change into before going to bed are their jams. Traditionally, though, the word refers to clothes that were specifically made and sold for sleeping in, typically consisting of soft, loose-fitting pants or shorts and a (sometimes matching) top.
When adults use the words jams or jammies to refer to what they’re wearing, it’s usually to refer to clothes worn for sleeping, but not always. People sometimes use such terms to refer to the clothes they wear to lounge in, especially before bed, though the terms p.j.’s and pajamas are more likely to be used this way. In all cases, the word jams is used very informally.
The word jams is also the plural of the noun jam or a present-tense version of the verb jam, both of which have many meanings.
Example: OK, kids, time for bed—go brush your teeth and change into your dinosaur jams.
Where does jams come from?
The first records of the word jams in reference to pajamas come from the 1960s. It’s a shortening of the word pajamas, which has been used since the 1800s and comes from the Hindi pāyjāma, from the Persian pāy, meaning “leg,” and jāma, meaning “garment.”
Originally, the word pajamas referred to loose-fitting pants worn in parts of Asia, usually made of silk or cotton. It then came to refer to a style of women’s pants, especially ones flared at the bottom, worn as leisurewear. Eventually, the word’s association with loose-fitting clothing resulted in its use as a term for sleepwear. The word jams is almost always used to refer to sleepwear.
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How is jams used in real life?
The term jams is typically used in the context of the pajamas worn by children. The word jammies means the same thing but is more common.
@Nicoleecg cruiz and I slept from five to eight. I put his jams on fed him and he went right back to sleep. Haha
— ∂αиιєℓℓє мαяу (@daniellempak) May 23, 2012
Bathed my godson, put his diaper on, put his jams on, & now he's running buck wild. Wth. Lmao
— mary (@uhhmaryXO) September 13, 2012
It's snowing again. So Roozle chose her short sleeve summer jams for bed. Good idea.
— Casey Brown (they/them) (@lifewithThisOne) March 21, 2013
Try using jams!
Which of the following words is a synonym of jams?
A. jammies
B. jam-jams
C. p.j.’s
D. all of the above
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