jerry

¹

[ jer-ee ]

adjective

, Building Trades Slang.

1. of inferior materials or workmanship.

Jerry

²

[ jer-ee ]

noun

1. a male given name, form of Gerald, Gerard, Jeremiah, and Jerome.
2. a female given name, form of Geraldine.

jerry

³

[ jer-ee ]

noun

, Chiefly British Slang.

, plural jer·ries.

1. a chamber pot.

Jerry

⁴

[ jer-ee ]

noun

, Older Slang: Sometimes Offensive.

, plural Jer·ries.

1. a German, especially a German soldier.
2. Germans collectively.

Jerry

¹

/ ˈdʒɛrɪ /

noun

1. a German, esp a German soldier
2. the Germans collectively

   Jerry didn't send his bombers out last night

jerry

²

/ ˈdʒɛrɪ /

noun

1. See chamber pot
   an informal word for chamber pot
2. See jeroboam
   short for jeroboam

Sensitive Note

Jerry was a nickname used by Allied soldiers for a German soldier during World War I, but it was more commonly used in World War II.

Word History and Origins

Origin of jerry¹

First recorded in 1875–80; short for jerry-built

Origin of jerry²

1820–30; short for Jeroboam (because if one drank such a large amount of liquid, one would have to void urine during the night)

Origin of jerry³

First recorded in 1910–15; Ger(man) + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Former Louisville mayor and new White House aide Jerry Abramson could be the man who brings Obama and Mitch McConnell together.

From The Daily Beast

There is, for example, the Seinfeld episode where Jerry, feeling flush with cash, buys his parents a Caddy.

From The Daily Beast

Sen. Jerry Moran, a Republican from Kansas, was among the first politicians to call for an Ebola czar.

From The Daily Beast

Mitchell has close ties with Sen. Jerry Tillman, the lawmaker who sponsored the bill.

From The Daily Beast

“[Amazon] should be showcasing ‘Tom and Jerry’ among classic movies in a way that gives them cultural context,” he said.

From The Daily Beast

To his astonishment, Lawrence recognized one of the guerrillas as Jerry Alcorn, his old time enemy.

From Project Gutenberg

Lawrence fired, but just as he did so Jerry's horse threw up his head and the ball struck him squarely between the eyes.

From Project Gutenberg

Lawrence returned the fire, and the ball struck Jerry's revolver and sent it spinning.

From Project Gutenberg

It took Jerry Alcorn but a moment to extricate himself from his horse, and as he half rose he fired at Lawrence, but missed.

From Project Gutenberg

Lawrence found that a force was being organized in Lexington to try to surprise and capture Red Jerry and his entire band.

From Project Gutenberg