jay

¹

[ jey ]

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.

jay

²

[ jey ]

noun

, Slang.

1. a marijuana cigarette.

Jay

³

[ jey ]

noun

1. John, 1745–1829, U.S. statesman and jurist: first chief justice of the U.S. 1789–95.
2. a male given name.

jay

¹

/ 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

Jay

²

/ dʒeɪ /

noun

1. JayJohn17451829MUSPOLITICS: statesmanLAW: juristPOLITICS: diplomat 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 History and Origins

Origin of jay¹

1275–35; Middle English jai < Middle French < Late Latin gāius, gāia, perhaps after Latin Gāius man's name

Origin of jay²

First recorded in 1965–70; probably spelling of initial consonant of joint, perhaps suggested by pig Latin version ointjay

Word History and Origins

Origin of jay¹

C13: from Old French jai, from Late Latin gāius, perhaps from proper name Gāius

Example Sentences

Pete Target, from London, took nine weeks off work to look after his son, Jay, when the little boy was nine months old.

From BBC

When he found out that James also trained at Unbreakable, which was founded by Fox Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer, they started syncing their workout schedules.

From Los Angeles Times

The family of British teenager Jay Slater, who died while on holiday in Tenerife, have stopped donations on the fundraising page set up after his disappearance.

From BBC

“If Jay were to be NIH director, I would hope he would bring that approach to the organization.”

From Science Magazine

Dr. Jay Bhattacharaya, Trump’s pick to lead the National Institutes of Health and oversee some $47 billion in research funding, agreed with Trump at the time; the public version, at least.

From Salon