joey

[joh-ee]

noun, plural jo·eys. Australian.

any young animal, especially a kangaroo.

a young child.

Origin of joey

First recorded in 1830–40; origin uncertain

joey

[joh-ee]

noun, plural jo·eys. British Slang.

a threepenny piece.

(formerly) a fourpenny piece.

Origin of joey

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

Joey

[joh-ee]

noun, plural Jo·eys.

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

Origin of Joey

1895–1900; diminutive of Joseph, after Joseph Grimaldi

Joey

[joh-ee]

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

Contemporary Examples of joey

In doing so, the vice president delighted the audience with a personal anecdote from his childhood as Joey Biden.
Joe Biden: ‘I’ll Kill Your Son’
Olivia Nuzzi
December 12, 2014
Sensing his opportunity, Joey Biden pounced: “I walked up behind him and smashed his head next to the counter.”
Joe Biden: ‘I’ll Kill Your Son’
Olivia Nuzzi
December 12, 2014
The Wireless Joey will help you watch more shows on more screens.
New Innovations Let You Watch TV Anywhere You Go
December 8, 2014
Just download the Virtual Joey App and you are ready to stream DISH service right to that screen.
New Innovations Let You Watch TV Anywhere You Go
December 8, 2014
Speaking of Grandma, The Wireless Joey is so simple she can install it herself.
New Innovations Let You Watch TV Anywhere You Go
December 8, 2014

Historical Examples of joey

Uncle Joey Fesch joined him, as if to protect and defend him.
The Boy Life of Napoleon
Eugenie Foa
I would not have your Joey if his lips were droppin' honey and his pockets droppin' gold.
The Shadow of a Crime
Hall Caine
It's early to go home, but, as I says to my Joey, there's no place like it; and nowther is there.
The Shadow of a Crime
Hall Caine
"Jamie was richt like Joey when he was a bairn," Hendry said.
A Window in Thrums
J. M. Barrie
It's because my fowk's been sae guid, you an' Hendry an' Leeby an' Joey when he was livin'.
A Window in Thrums
J. M. Barrie

British Dictionary definitions for joey

joey

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

"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.