jay
jay Lexical Profile
jay Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A medium-sized, typically colorful bird belonging to the crow family (Corvidae), known for its loud, harsh calls, intelligence, and bold behavior.
"A bright blue jay landed on the branch, squawking loudly to warn the other birds of a nearby hawk."
A slang term for a marijuana cigarette.
"They stepped out onto the back patio to smoke a jay before the concert started."
American A foolish, gullible, or inexperienced person (historically used to describe a naive country dweller, which gave rise to the term 'jaywalker').
"The street peddler easily swindled the young jay out of his weekly wages."
• Rhymes for jay
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'jay', borrowed from Old French 'jai', derived from Late Latin 'gaius'. This is likely imitative of the bird's harsh, chattering cry, though it may also be connected to the Roman proper name Gaius.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.