- jam (v.)
- "to press tightly," also "to become wedged," 1706, of unknown origin, perhaps a variant of champ (v.). Sense of "to cause interference in radio signals" is from 1914. Jazz noun meaning "short, free improvised passage performed by the whole band" dates from 1929, and yielded jam session (1933); perhaps from jam (n.) in sense of "something sweet, something excellent." Noun sense of "machine blockage" is from 1890, which probably led to the colloquial meaning "predicament," first recorded 1914.
- jam (n.)
- "fruit preserve," 1730s, probably a special use of jam (v.) with a sense of "crush fruit into a preserve."
- Jamaica
- West Indian island, from Taino (Arawakan). The Jamaica in New York probably is a Delaware (Algonquian) word meaning "beaver pond" alt. by infl. of the island name.
- jamb
- 1334, from O.Fr. jambe "pier, side post of a door," originally "a leg, shank," from L.L. gamba "leg, (horse's) hock" (see gambol).
- jambalaya
- 1872, from Louisiana Fr., from Prov. jambalaia "stew of rice and fowl."
- jamboree
- 1868, Amer.Eng., perhaps from jam (n.) on pattern of shivaree. For the second element, Weekley suggestsFr. bourree, a kind of rustic dance. Klein thinks the whole thing is of Hindu origin. Name given to 1920 International Rally of Boy Scouts, and used subsequently by them.
- James
- masc. proper name, name of two of Christ's disciples, late 12c. M.E. vernacular form of L.L. Jacomus (cf. O.Fr. James, Sp. Jaime, It. Giacomo), altered from L. Jacobus (see Jacob). The Welsh form was Iago, the Cornish Jago.
- Jamesian
- "of or in the mode of James," 1875 in ref. to William James (1842-1910) U.S. philosopher and exponent of pragmatism; 1905 in ref. to his brother Henry James (1843-1916), U.S. expatriate novelist.
- jams
- 1966, abstracted from pajamas (q.v.).
- Benjamin
- masc. proper name, in O.T., Jacob's youngest son (Gen. xxxv.18), from Heb. Binyamin, lit. "son of the south," though interpreted in Genesis as "son of the right hand," from ben "son of" + yamin "right hand," also "south" (in an East-oriented culture). Cf. Arabic cognate yaman "right hand, right side, south;" yamana "he was happy," lit. "he turned to the right." The right was regarded as auspicious (see left and dexterity). Slang meaning "money" (by 1999) is from portrait of Benjamin Franklin on U.S. $100 bill.
- enjambement
- see enjambment.
- enjambment
- 1837, from enjamb (c.1600), from Fr. enjamber "to stride over," from jambe "leg."
- katzenjammer
- 1849, "a hangover," Amer.Eng. colloquial, from Ger. katzen, comb. form of katze "cat" + jammer "distress, wailing." Hence, "any unpleasant reaction" (1897). Katzenjammer Kids "naughty children" is from title of comic strip first drawn by Rudolph Dirks in 1897 for the "New York Journal."
- pajama
- see pajamas.
- pajamas
- 1800, pai jamahs "loose trousers tied at the waist," worn by Muslims in India and adopted by Europeans there, especially for nightwear, from Hindi pajama, probably from Pers. paejamah, lit. "leg clothing," from pae "leg" (from PIE *ped- "foot," see foot) + jamah "clothing." Modern spelling (U.S.) is from 1845. British spelling tends toward pyjamas.