definitions

joey

1
[ joh-ee ]
/ ˈdʒoʊ i /
|

noun, plural jo·eys. Australian.

any young animal, especially a kangaroo.
a young child.

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Nearby words

joe soap, joe-pye weed, joel, joensuu, joes, joey, joey glass, joey hooker, joffre, joffre, joseph jacques césaire, joffrey

Origin of joey

1
First recorded in 1830–40; origin uncertain

Definition for joey (2 of 4)

joey

2
[ joh-ee ]
/ ˈdʒoʊ i /

noun, plural jo·eys. British Slang.

a threepenny piece.
(formerly) a fourpenny piece.

Origin of joey

2
First recorded in 1860–65; named after Joseph Hume (1777–1855), English politician who favored the coinage of the fourpenny piece

Definition for joey (3 of 4)

Joey

1
[ joh-ee ]
/ ˈdʒoʊ i /

noun, plural Jo·eys.

a clown, especially in the circus or pantomime and puppet theater.

Origin of Joey

1
1895–1900; diminutive of Joseph, after Joseph Grimaldi

Definition for joey (4 of 4)

Joey

2
[ joh-ee ]
/ ˈdʒoʊ i /

noun

a male given name, form of Joe or Joseph.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for joey

British Dictionary definitions for joey

joey

/ (ˈdʒəʊɪ) /

noun Australian informal

a young kangaroo or possum
a young animal or child

Word Origin for joey

C19: from a native Australian language
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for joey

joey

n.

"young kangaroo," 1839, sometimes said to be from a native Australian word joè, but more recently often said to be of unknown origin. Perhaps an extended use of Joey, the familiar form of the male proper name Joseph, for which Partridge lists many common or coarse meanings in 20c. Australian slang. Farmer & Henley ("Slang and Its Analogues") quote an 1887 article on "Australian Colloquialisms":

JOEY is a familiar name for anything young or small, and is applied indifferently to a puppy, or a kitten, or a child, while a WOOD-AND-WATER-JOEY is a hanger about hotels and a doer of odd jobs.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper