jenny
1 Americannoun
-
the female of certain animals, especially a female donkey or a female bird.
a jenny wren.
noun
noun
-
a hand-operated machine for turning up the edge of a piece of sheet metal in preparation for making a joint
-
the female of certain animals or birds, esp a donkey, ass, or wren
-
short for spinning jenny
-
billiards snooker an in-off See long jenny short jenny
Usage
What does jenny mean? The word jenny is used to refer to certain female animals, especially a female donkey or female bird. When capitalized, Jenny is a proper name. Its sense referring to female donkeys is typically used in technical discussions of breeding. Unrelatedly, jenny can also refer to the spinning jenny, a machine for spinning yarn. Example: I raise donkeys, and our jenny just had a foal.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of jenny1
First recorded in 1590–1600; generic use of Jenny, proper name
Origin of jenny2
Shortening and alteration of Genoa
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And last week, Jenny Slatten of “90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way” shared her ALS diagnosis with the world.
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026
Venture capitalist Jenny Stojkovic hired her son as a baby model for her media company shortly after he was born.
From MarketWatch • May 26, 2026
“This transaction represents our latest strategic investment in longer cycle, higher growth, high margin businesses aligned with our continuous focus on delivering top-quartile financial performance,” said Jenny Parmentier, Parker’s CEO, said in the statement.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
Among fellow money managers, Fink earned significantly less than some of his counterparts at the private-capital giants, including Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman, while taking home higher pay than traditional investment-firm CEOs, like Franklin Templeton’s Jenny Johnson.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
“What’s he thinking?” asked Jenny, coming into the kennel with a leash.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
