jay

• enPR: jā, IPA^(key): /dʒeɪ/
• Rhymes: -eɪ

Eurasian jay

American jay

From Middle English jay, from Old French jai ("jay"; Modern French geai), from Old French jai (“gay, merry”), so named due to its plumage, from Old Frankish *gāhi (“quick, impetuous”), from Proto-Germanic *ganhuz, *ganhwaz (“sudden”), cognate with Dutch gaai (“jay”). More at gay.

jay (plural jays)

1. Any one of the numerous species of birds belonging to several genera within the family Corvidae, including Garrulus, Cyanocitta, Aphelocoma, Perisoreus, Cyanocorax, Gymnorhinus, Cyanolyca, Ptilostomus, and Calocitta, allied to the crows, but smaller, more graceful in form, often handsomely colored, usually having a crest, and often noisy.
2. Other birds of similar appearance and behavior.
3. (archaic) A dull or ignorant person. It survives today in the term jaywalking.
   • 1900, Harry B. Norris, Burlington Bertie (song)

     Burlington Bertie's the latest young jay
     He rents a swell flat somewhere Kensington way
     He spends the good oof that his pater has made
     Along with the Brandy and Soda Brigade.

4. (obsolete) Promiscuous woman; prostitute.
   • a. 1611, Shakespeare, William, Cymbeline, act 3, scene 4, lines 50–51:

     Some jay of Italy, / Whose mother was her painting, hath betray'd him:

• (bird): Jenny jay, jay pie, k, kae (UK); bluejay, whisky jack (US)
• (ignorant person): See Thesaurus:ignoramus
• (promiscuous woman): See Thesaurus:promiscuous woman or Thesaurus:prostitute

• (bird): Old World jay, gray jay, American jay

• Jay on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Corvidae on Wikispecies.Wikispecies

Respelling of the letter jy, by analogy with the following letter kay.

jay (plural jays)

1. The name of the Latin-script letter J.
2. (slang) A marijuana cigarette; a joint.
   • 2009, Caitlin Moran, The Times, 23 Mar 2009:

     Although sympathetic, my main reaction was to think: “Some people can handle it, and some people can’t,” and then smugly light up a big fat jay.

• deejay
• jaycee

• (Latin-script letter names) letter; a, bee, cee, dee, e, ef, gee, aitch, i, jay, kay, el, em, en, o, pee, cue, ar, ess, tee, u, vee, double-u, ex, wye, zee / zed

• jay in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

jay

1. home

• jai, gaye, jey

From Old French jai, from Frankish *gāhi or Late Latin gaius. Doublet of gay.

• IPA^(key): /dʒɛi̯/

jay (plural jayes)

1. jay (bird)

• English: jay
• Scots: jay

• “jai (n.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-06-18.