jab | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

13 entries found.

1813, "to thrust or strike with a point," a Scottish variant of job "to strike, pierce, thrust," from Middle English jobben "to jab, thrust, peck" (c. 1500), a word of unknown origin, perhaps imitative. Related: Jabbed; jabbing.

jab (n.)

1825, "a thrust or poke with the point of something," from jab (v.). Meaning "a punch with the fist" is from 1889. Sense of "injection with a hypodermic needle," once beloved by newspaper headline writers, is from 1914.

brochure (n.)

"pamphlet; short written work stitched together," 1748, from French brochure "a stitched work," from brocher "to stitch" (sheets together), from Old French brochier "to prick, jab, pierce," from broche "pointed tool, awl" (see broach (n.)).

amniocentesis (n.)

name of a diagnostic technique involving the withdrawing of amniotic fluid by hypodermic needle, 1958, Modern Latin, from amnion + centesis "surgical puncture involving a puncture," from Latinized form of Greek kentesis "a pricking," from kentein "to prick," from PIE root *kent- "to prick, jab" (see center (n.)).

cestus (n.1)

"a girdle," a belt worn around the waist in ancient Greece, 1570s, from Latinized form of Greek kestos, noun use of an adjective meaning "stitched, embroidered," from kentein "to prick," from PIE root *kent- "to prick, jab" (see center (n.)). Especially the magical love-inspiring girdle of Aphrodite/Venus.

poach (v.1)

"steal game," 1520s, "to push, poke," from French pocher "to thrust, poke," from Old French pochier "poke out, gouge, prod, jab," from a Germanic source (compare Middle High German puchen "to pound, beat, knock," German pochen, Middle Dutch boken "to beat") related to poke (v.). Sense of "trespass upon another's preserves for the sake of stealing game; kill and carry off game in violation of the law" is attested from 1610s, perhaps via the notion of "thrusting" oneself onto another's property, or perhaps from French pocher "to pocket" (the property of another); see poach (v.2). Related: Poached; poaching.

point (v.)

late 14c., "indicate with the finger;" c. 1400, "wound by stabbing; make pauses in reading a text; seal or fill openings or joints or between tiles," partly from Old French pointoier "to prick, stab, jab, mark," and also from point (n.).

From mid-15c. as "to stitch, mend." From late 15c. as "furnish (a garment) with tags or laces for fastening;" from late 15c. as "aim (something), direct toward an object." Related: Pointed; pointing. To point up "emphasize" is from 1934; to point out "indicate, show, make manifest" is from 1570s.

goose (v.)

"jab in the rear," c. 1880, from goose (n.), possibly from resemblance of the upturned thumb to a goose's beak, or from the notion of creating nervous excitement. Related: Goosed; goosing. In 19c. theatrical slang, to be goosed meant "to be hissed" (by 1818). A broad range of sexual slang senses historically cluster around goose and gooseberry; goose and duck was rhyming slang for "fuck;" Farmer identifies Winchester goose as "a woman; whence, by implication, the sexual favor," and goose as a verb "to go wenching, to womanize, also to possess a woman." He also has goose-grease for a woman's sexual juices, while gooser and goose's neck meant "the penis." Gooseberries (they are hairy) was "testicles," and gooseberry pudding "a woman."

jabber (v.)

"talk rapidly and indistinctly," 1650s, spelling variant of Middle English jablen (c. 1400), also javeren, jaberen, chaveren, jawin; probably ultimately echoic. Related: Jabbered; jabbering. The noun, "rapid, unintelligible talk" is 1727, from the verb. Related: Jabberment (Milton).

Jabberwocky

1871, nonsense word (perhaps based on jabber) coined by Lewis Carroll, for the poem of the same name, which he published in "Through the Looking-Glass." The poem is about a fabulous beast called the Jabberwock.

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