J (ja). J is the tenth letter of the English alphabet. It is a later variant form of the Roman letter I, used to express a consonantal sound, that is, originally, the sound of English y in yet. The forms J and I have, until a recent time, been classed together, and they have been used interchangeably. In medical prescriptions j is still used in place of i at the end of a number, as a Roman numeral; as v j, xi j. J is etymologically most closely related to i, y, g; as in jot, iota; jest, gesture; join, jugular, yoke. See I. J is a compound vocal consonant, nearly equivalent in sound to dzh. It is exactly the same as g in gem. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 179, 211, 239.

Jaal goat
Jaal" goat (Zoöl.) A species of wild goat ( Capra Nubiana) found in the mountains of Abyssinia, Upper Egypt, and Arabia; — called also beden, and jaela.

Jabiru
Jab´i•ru, n. [Braz. jabirú, jaburú.] (Zoöl.) One of several large wading birds of the genera Mycteria and Xenorhynchus, allied to the storks in form and habits. The American jabiru ( Mycteria Americana) is white, with the head and neck black and nearly bare of feathers. The East Indian and Australian ( Xenorhynchus Australis) has the neck, head, and back covered with glossy, dark green feathers, changing on the head to purple. The African jabiru ( Mycteria, or Ephippiorhynchus, Senegalensis) has the neck, head, wing coverts, and tail, black, and is called also saddle-billed stork.

Jabot
Jab´ot, n. [F.]
1. Originally, a kind of ruffle worn by men on the bosom of the shirt.
2. An arrangement of lace or tulle, looped ornamentally, and worn by women on the front of the dress.

Jacchus
Jac´chus, n. [NL., fr. L. Jacchus a mystic name of Bacchus, Gr. .] (Zoöl.) The common marmoset ( Hapale vulgaris). Formerly, the name was also applied to other species of the same genus.

Jacent
Ja´cent, a. [L. jacens, p. pr. of jacere to lie: cf. F. jacent.] Lying at length; as the jacent posture. [R.] Sir H. Wotton.

Jack (jak), n. [Pg. jaca, Malayalam, tsjaka.] (Bot.) A large tree, the Artocarpus integrifolia, common in the East Indies, closely allied to the breadfruit, from which it differs in having its leaves entire. The fruit is of great size, weighing from thirty to forty pounds, and through its soft fibrous matter are scattered the seeds, which are roasted and eaten. The wood is of a yellow color, fine grain, and rather heavy, and is much used in cabinetwork. It is also used for dyeing a brilliant yellow. [Written also jak.]

Jack, n. [F. Jacques James, L. Jacobus, Gr., Heb. Ya ’aqob Jacob; prop., seizing by the heel; hence, a supplanter. Cf. Jacobite, Jockey.]
1. A familiar nickname of, or substitute for, John.
"You are John Rugby, and you are Jack Rugby." Shak.
2. An impertinent or silly fellow; a simpleton; a boor; a clown; also a servant; a rustic. "Jack fool." Chaucer.
"Since every Jack became a gentleman, There ’s many a gentle person made a Jack." Shak.
3. A popular colloquial name for a sailor; — called also Jack tar, and Jack afloat.
4. A mechanical contrivance, an auxiliary machine, or a subordinate part of a machine, rendering convenient service, and often supplying the place of a boy or attendant who was commonly called Jack; as: (a) A device to pull off boots. (b) A sawhorse or sawbuck. (c) A machine or contrivance for turning a spit; a smoke jack, or kitchen jack. (b) (Mining) A wooden wedge for separating rocks rent by blasting. (e) (Knitting Machine) A lever for depressing the sinkers which push the loops down on the needles. (f) (Warping Machine) A grating to separate and guide the threads; a heck box. (g) (Spinning) A machine for twisting the sliver as it leaves the carding machine. (h) A compact, portable machine for planing metal. (i) A machine for slicking or pebbling leather. (k) A system of gearing driven by a horse power, for multiplying speed. (l) A hood or other device placed over a chimney or vent pipe, to prevent a back draught. (m) In the harpsichord, an intermediate piece communicating the action of the key to the quill; — called also hopper. (n) In hunting, the pan or frame holding the fuel of the torch used to attract game at night; also the light itself. C. Hallock.
5. A portable machine variously constructed, for exerting great pressure, or lifting or moving a heavy body through a small distance. It consists of a lever, screw, rack and pinion, hydraulic press, or any simple combination of mechanical powers, working in a compact pedestal or support and operated by a lever, crank, capstan bar, etc. The name is often given to a jackscrew, which is a kind of jack.
6. The small bowl used as a mark in the game of bowls. Shak.
"Like an uninstructed bowler who thinks to attain the jack by delivering his bowl straight forward upon it." Sir W. Scott.
7. The male of certain animals, as of the ass.
8. (Zoöl.) (a) A young pike; a pickerel. (b) The jurel. (c) A large, California rock fish ( Sebastodes paucispinus); — called also boccaccio, and merou. (d) The wall-eyed pike.
9. A drinking measure holding half a pint; also one holding a quarter of a pint. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
10. (Naut.) (a) A flag, containing only the union, without the fly, usually hoisted on a jack staff at the bowsprit cap; — called also union jack. The American jack is a small blue flag, with a star for each State. (b) A bar of iron athwart ships at a topgallant masthead, to support a royal mast, and give spread to the royal shrouds; — called also jack crosstree. R. H. Dana, Jr.
11. The knave of a suit of playing cards. Jack is used adjectively in various senses. It sometimes designates something cut short or diminished in size; as a jack timber; a jack rafter; a jack arch, etc. Jack arch, an arch of the thickness of one brick. — Jack back (Brewing & Malt Vinegar Manuf.), a cistern which receives the wort. See under 1st Back. — Jack block (Naut.), a block fixed in the topgallant or royal rigging, used for raising and lowering light masts and spars. — Jack boots, boots reaching above the knee; — worn in the 17 century by soldiers; afterwards by fishermen, etc. — Jack crosstree. (Naut.) See 10, b, above. — Jack curlew (Zoöl.), the whimbrel. — Jack frame. (Cotton Spinning) See 4 (g), above. — Jack Frost, frost personified as a mischievous person. — Jack hare, a male hare. Cowper. — Jack lamp, a lamp for still hunting and camp use. See def. 4 (n.), above. — Jack plane, a joiner’s plane used for coarse work. — Jack post, one of the posts which support the crank shaft of a deep-well-boring apparatus. — Jack pot (Poker Playing), the name given to the stakes, contributions to which are made by each player successively, till such a hand is turned as shall take the "pot," which is the sum total of all the bets. — Jack rabbit (Zoöl.), any one of several species of large American hares, having very large ears and long legs. The California species ( Lepus Californicus), and that of Texas and New Mexico ( L. callotis), have the tail black above, and the ears black at the tip. They do not become white in winter. The more northern prairie hare ( L. campestris) has the upper side of the tail white, and in winter its fur becomes nearly white. — Jack rafter (Arch.), in England, one of the shorter rafters used in constructing a hip or valley roof; in the United States, any secondary roof timber, as the common rafters resting on purlins in a trussed roof; also one of the pieces simulating extended rafters, used under the eaves in some styles of building. — Jack salmon (Zoöl.), the wall-eyed pike, or glasseye. — Jack sauce, an impudent fellow. [Colloq. & Obs.] — Jack shaft (Mach.), the first intermediate shaft, in a factory or mill, which receives power, through belts or gearing, from a prime mover, and transmits it, by the same means, to other intermediate shafts or to a line shaft. — Jack sinker (Knitting Mach.), a thin iron plate operated by the jack to depress the loop of thread between two needles. — Jack snipe. (Zoöl.) See in the Vocabulary. — Jack staff (Naut.), a staff fixed on the bowsprit cap, upon which the jack is hoisted. — Jack timber (Arch.), any timber, as a rafter, rib, or studding, which, being intercepted, is shorter than the others. — Jack towel, a towel hung on a roller for common use. — Jack truss (Arch.), in a hip roof, a minor truss used where the roof has not its full section. — Jack tree. (Bot.) See 1st Jack, n. — Jack yard (Naut.), a short spar to extend a topsail beyond the gaff. Blue jack, blue vitriol; sulphate of copper. — Hydraulic jack, a jack used for lifting, pulling, or forcing, consisting of a compact portable hydrostatic press, with its pump and a reservoir containing a supply of liquid, as oil. — Jack-at-a-pinch. (a) One called upon to take the place of another in an emergency. (b) An itinerant parson who conducts an occasional service for a fee. — Jack-at- all-trades, one who can turn his hand to any kind of work. — Jack-by-the-hedge (Bot.), a plant of the genus Erysimum ( E. alliaria, or Alliaria officinalis), which grows under hedges. It bears a white flower and has a taste not unlike garlic. Called also in England, sauce-alone. Eng. Cyc. — Jack- in-a-box. (a) (Bot.) A tropical tree ( Hernandia sonora), which bears a drupe that rattles when dry in the inflated calyx. (b) A child’s toy, consisting of a box, out of which, when the lid is raised, a figure springs. (c) (Mech.) An epicyclic train of bevel gears for transmitting rotary motion to two parts in such a manner that their relative rotation may be variable; applied to driving the wheels of tricycles, road locomotives, and to cotton machinery, etc.; an equation box; a jack frame; — called also compensating gearing. (d) A large wooden screw turning in a nut attached to the crosspiece of a rude press. — Jack-in-office, an insolent fellow in authority. Wolcott. — Jack-in-the- bush (Bot.), a tropical shrub with red fruit ( Cordia Cylindrostachya). — Jack-in-the- green, a chimney sweep inclosed in a framework of boughs, carried in Mayday processions. — Jack-in-the- pulpit (Bot.), the American plant Arisaema triphyllum, or Indian turnip, in which the upright spadix is inclosed. — Jack-of-the- buttery (Bot.), the stonecrop ( Sedum acre). — Jack-of-the-clock, a figure, usually of a man, on old clocks, which struck the time on the bell. — Jack-on-both-sides, one who is or tries to be neutral. — Jack-out-of-office, one who has been in office and is turned out. Shak. - - Jack the Giant Killer, the hero of a well- known nursery story. — Jack-with-a-lantern, Jack-o’-lantern. (a) An ignis fatuus; a will-o’-the-wisp. "[Newspaper speculations] supplying so many more jack-o’-lanterns to the future historian." Lowell. (b) A lantern made of a pumpkin so prepared as to show in illumination the features of a human face, etc. — Yellow Jack (Naut.), the yellow fever; also the quarantine flag. See Yellow flag, under Flag.

Jack, n. [F. jaque, jacque, perh. from the proper name Jacques. Cf. Jacquerie.] A coarse and cheap mediaeval coat of defense, esp. one made of leather.
"Their horsemen are with jacks for most part clad." Sir J. Harrington.

Jack, n. [Named from its resemblance to a jack boot.] A pitcher or can of waxed leather; — called also black jack. [Obs.] Dryden.

Jack, v. i. To hunt game at night by means of a jack. See 2d Jack, n. , 4, n.

Jack, v. t. To move or lift, as a house, by means of a jack or jacks. See 2d Jack, n. , 5.

Jack Ketch
Jack" Ketch" [Perh. fr. Jack, the proper name + Prov. E. ketch a hangman, fr. ketch, for catch to seize; but see the citations below.] A public executioner, or hangman. [Eng.]
"The manor of Tyburn was formerly held by Richard Jaquett, where felons for a long time were executed; from whence we have Jack Ketch." Lloyd’s MS., British Museum.
"[Monmouth] then accosted John Ketch, the executioner, a wretch who had butchered many brave and noble victims, and whose name has during a century and a half, been vulgarly given to all who have succeeded him in his odious office." Macaulay.

Jackdaw
Jack´daw, n. [Prob. 2d jack + daw, n. ] (Zoöl.) See Daw, n.

Jackeen
Jack•een´, n. A drunken, dissolute fellow. [Ireland] S. C. Hall.

Jack-o’-lantern
Jack´-o’-lan•tern, n. See Jack-with-a-lantern, under 2d Jack.

Jackpudding
Jack´pud•ding, n. A merry- andrew; a buffoon. Milton.

Jackslave
Jack´slave, n. A low servant; a mean fellow. Shak.

Jacksnipe
Jack´snipe, n. (Zoöl.) (a) A small European snipe ( Limnocryptes gallinula); — called also judcock, jedcock, juddock, jed, and half snipe. (b) A small American sandpiper ( Tringa maculata); — called also pectoral sandpiper, and grass snipe.

Jackstraw
Jack´straw, n.
1. An effigy stuffed with straw; a scarecrow; hence, a man without property or influence. Milton.
2. One of a set of straws of strips of ivory, bone, wood, etc., for playing a child’s game, the jackstraws being thrown confusedly together on a table, to be gathered up singly by a hooked instrument, without touching or disturbing the rest of the pile. See Spilikin.

Jackwood
Jack´wood, n. Wood of the jack ( Artocarpus integrifolia), used in cabinetwork.

Jacob
Ja´cob, n. [Cf. F. Jacob. See 2d Jack.] A Hebrew patriarch (son of Isaac, and ancestor of the Jews), who in a vision saw a ladder reaching up to heaven ( Gen. xxviii. 12); — also called Israel.
"And Jacob said … with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands." Gen. xxxii. 9, 10.
"Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel." Gen. xxxii. 28.Jacob’s ladder. (a) (Bot.) A perennial herb of the genus Polemonium ( P. cœruleum), having corymbs of drooping flowers, usually blue. Gray. (b) (Naut.) A rope ladder, with wooden steps, for going aloft. R. H. Dana, Jr. (c) (Naut.) A succession of short cracks in a defective spar. — Jacob’s membrane. See Retina. — Jacob’s staff. (a) A name given to many forms of staff or weapon, especially in the Middle Ages; a pilgrim’s staff. [Obs.] Spenser. (b) (Surveying) See under Staff.

Jacobaean lily
Jac•o•bae"an lil"y [See Jacobean.] (Bot.) A bulbous plant ( Amaryllis, or Sprekelia, formosissima) from Mexico. It bears a single, large, deep, red, lilylike flower. [Written also Jacobean.] { Ja•co´be•an ( 277), Ja•co´bi•an } a. [From L. Jacobus James. See 2d Jack.] Of or pertaining to a style of architecture and decoration in the time of James the First, of England. "A Jacobean table." C. L. Eastlake.

Jacobin
Jac´o•bin, n. [F. See 2d Jack, Jacobite.]
1. (Eccl. Hist.) A Dominican friar; — so named because, before the French Revolution, that order had a convent in the Rue St. Jacques, Paris.
2. One of a society of violent agitators in France, during the revolution of 1789, who held secret meetings in the Jacobin convent in the Rue St. Jacques, Paris, and concerted measures to control the proceedings of the National Assembly. Hence: A plotter against an existing government; a turbulent demagogue.
3. (Zoöl.) A fancy pigeon, in which the feathers of the neck form a hood, — whence the name. The wings and tail are long, and the beak moderately short.

Jacobin
Jac´o•bin, a. Same as Jacobinic.

Jacobine
Jac´o•bine, n. A Jacobin. { Jac•o•bin´ic, Jac•o•bin´ic•al } a. Of or pertaining to the Jacobins of France; revolutionary; of the nature of, or characterized by, Jacobinism. Burke. — Jac•o•bin´ic•al•ly, adv.

Jacobite
Jac´o•bite, n. [L. Jacobus James: cf. F. Jacobite. See 2d Jack.]
1. (Eng. Hist.) A partisan or adherent of James the Second, after his abdication, or of his descendants, an opposer of the revolution in 1688 in favor of William and Mary. Macaulay.
2. (Eccl.) One of the sect of Syrian Monophysites. The sect is named after Jacob Baradaeus, its leader in the sixth century.

Jacobite
Jac´o•bite, a. Of or pertaining to the Jacobites. { Jac•o•bit´ic, Jac•o•bit´ic•al } a. Of or pertaining to the Jacobites; characterized by Jacobitism. — Jac•o•bit´ic•al•ly, adv.

Jaconet
Jac´o•net, n. [F. jaconas.] A thin cotton fabric, between cambric and muslin, used for dresses, neckcloths, etc. [Written also jacconet.]

Jactitation
Jac´ti•ta´tion, n. [L. jactitare to utter in public, from jactare. See Jactancy.]
1. (Law) Vain boasting or assertions repeated to the prejudice of another’s right; false claim. Mozley & W.
2. (Med.) A frequent tossing or moving of the body; restlessness, as in delirium. Dunglison. Jactitation of marriage (Eng. Eccl. Law), a giving out or boasting by a party that he or she is married to another, whereby a common reputation of their matrimony may ensue. Blackstone.

Jaculable
Jac´u•la•ble, a. Fit for throwing. [Obs.]

Jaculation
Jac•u•la´tion, n. [L. jaculatio.] The act of tossing, throwing, or hurling, as spears.
"Hurled to and fro with jaculation dire." Milton.

Jade, n. [F., fr. Sp. jade, fr. piedra de ijada stone of the side, fr. ijada flank, side, pain in the side, the stone being so named because it was supposed to cure this pain. Sp. ijada is derived fr. L. ilia flanks. Cf. Iliac.] (Min.) A stone, commonly of a pale to dark green color but sometimes whitish. It is very hard and compact, capable of fine polish, and is used for ornamental purposes and for implements, esp. in Eastern countries and among many early peoples. The general term jade includes nephrite, a compact variety of tremolite with a specific gravity of 3, and also the mineral jadeite, a silicate of alumina and soda, with a specific gravity of 3.3. The latter is the more highly prized and includes the feitsui of the Chinese. The name has also been given to other tough green minerals capable of similar use.

Jade, n. [OE. jade; cf. Prov. E. yaud, Scot. yade, yad, yaud, Icel. jalda a mare.]
1. A mean or tired horse; a worthless nag. Chaucer.
"Tired as a jade in overloaden cart." Sir P. Sidney.
2. A disreputable or vicious woman; a wench; a quean; also sometimes, a worthless man. Shak.
"She shines the first of battered jades." Swift.
3. A young woman; — generally so called in irony or slight contempt.
"A souple jade she was and strang." Burns.

Jade, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Jaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Jading.]
1. To treat like a jade; to spurn. [Obs.] Shak.
2. To make ridiculous and contemptible. [Obs.]
"I do now fool myself, to let imagination jade me." Shak.
3. To exhaust by overdriving or long- continued labor of any kind; to tire or wear out by severe or tedious tasks; to harass.
"The mind, once jaded by an attempt above its power, … checks at any vigorous undertaking ever after." Locke.
Syn. — To fatigue; tire; weary; harass. — To Jade, Fatigue, Tire, Weary. Fatigue is the generic term; tire denotes fatigue which wastes the strength; weary implies that a person is worn out by exertion; jade refers to the weariness created by a long and steady repetition of the same act or effort. A little exertion will tire a child or a weak person; a severe or protracted task wearies equally the body and the mind; the most powerful horse becomes jaded on a long journey by a continual straining of the same muscles. Wearied with labor of body or mind; tired of work, tired out by importunities; jaded by incessant attention to business.

Jade, v. i. To become weary; to lose spirit.
"They … fail, and jade, and tire in the prosecution." South.

Jadery
Jad´er•y, n. The tricks of a jade.

Jag, n. [Prob. of Celtic origin; cf. W. gag aperture, cleft, chink; akin to Ir. & Gael. gag.] [Written also jagg.]
1. A notch; a cleft; a barb; a ragged or sharp protuberance; a denticulation.
"Arethuss arose … From rock and from jag." Shelley.
"Garments thus beset with long jags." Holland.
2. A part broken off; a fragment. Bp. Hacket.
3. (Bot.) A cleft or division. Jag bolt, a bolt with a nicked or barbed shank which resists retraction, as when leaded into stone.

Jag, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Jagged p. pr. & vb. n. Jagging ] To cut into notches or teeth like those of a saw; to notch. [Written also jagg.] Jagging iron, a wheel with a zigzag or jagged edge for cutting cakes or pastry into ornamental figures.

Jag, n. [Scot. jag, jaug, a leather bag or wallet, a pocket. Cf. Jag a notch.] A small load, as of hay or grain in the straw, or of ore. [Prov. Eng. & Colloq. U.S.] [Written also jagg.] Forby.

Jag, v. t. To carry, as a load; as to jag hay, etc. [Prov. Eng. & Colloq. U.S.] { Jag•a•nat´ha, Jag•a•nat´ha } n. See Juggernaut.

Jag, n.
1. A leather bag or wallet; pl. , saddlebags. [Scot.]
2. Enough liquor to make a man noticeably drunk; a small "load;" a time or case of drunkeness; — esp. in phr. To have a jag on, to be drunk. [Slang, U. S. & Dial. Eng.] { Jag´an•nath, Jag•an•na´tha, n. Also Jug´ger•naut}. [Hind. Jagan- nath lord of the world, Skr. jagannatha.] (Hinduism) A particular form of Vishnu, or of Krishna, whose chief idol and worship are at Puri, in Orissa. The idol is considered to contain the bones of Krishna and to possess a soul. The principal festivals are the Snanayatra, when the idol is bathed, and the Rathayatra, when the image is drawn upon a car adorned with obscene paintings. Formerly it was erroneously supposed that devotees allowed themselves to be crushed beneath the wheels of this car. It is now known that any death within the temple of Jagannath is considered to render the place unclean, and any spilling of blood in the presence of the idol is a pollution.

Jagg, v. t. & n. See Jag.

Jagged
Jag´ged (jag"ged), a. Having jags; having rough, sharp notches, protuberances, or teeth; cleft; laciniate; divided; as jagged rocks. " Jagged vine leaves’ shade." Trench. — Jag´ged•ly, adv. — Jag´ged•ness, n.

Jaggery
Jag´ger•y, n. [Hind jagri. Cf. Sugar.] Raw palm sugar, made in the East Indies by evaporating the fresh juice of several kinds of palm trees, but specifically that of the palmyra ( Borassus flabelliformis). [Written also jagghery.]

Jaggery palm
Jag"ger•y palm An East Indian palm ( Caryota urens) having leaves pinnate with wedge-shaped divisions, the petiole very stout. It is the principal source of jaggery, and is often cultivated for ornament.

Jail, n. [OE. jaile, gail, gayhol, OF. gaole, gaiole, jaiole, F. geôle, LL. gabiola, dim. of gabia cage, for L. cavea cavity, cage. See Cage.] A kind of prison; a building for the confinement of persons held in lawful custody, especially for minor offenses or with reference to some future judicial proceeding. [Written also gaol.]
"This jail I count the house of liberty." Milton. Jail bird, a prisoner; one who has been confined in prison. [Slang] — Jail delivery, the release of prisoners from jail, either legally or by violence. — Jail delivery commission. See under Gaol. — Jail fever (Med.), typhus fever, or a disease resembling it, generated in jails and other places crowded with people; — called also hospital fever, and ship fever. — Jail liberties, or Jail limits, a space or district around a jail within which an imprisoned debtor was on certain conditions, allowed to go at large. Abbott. — Jail lock, a peculiar form of padlock; — called also Scandinavian lock.

Jail, v. t. To imprison. [R.] T. Adams (1614).
"[Bolts] that jail you from free life." Tennyson.

Jainism
Jain´ism, n. The heterodox Hindoo religion, of which the most striking features are the exaltation of saints or holy mortals, called jins, above the ordinary Hindoo gods, and the denial of the divine origin and infallibility of the Vedas. It is intermediate between Brahmanism and Buddhism, having some things in common with each.

Jakes, n. [Prob. fr. F. Jacques, the proper name. See 2d Jack.] A privy. Shak.

Jakie
Ja´kie, n. (Zoöl.) A South American striped frog ( Pseudis paradoxa), remarkable for having a tadpole larger than the adult, and hence called also paradoxical frog.

Jalap
Jal´ap, n. [F., fr. Sp. jalapa; — so called from Jalapa, a town in Mexico, whence it was first obtained.] (Med.) The tubers of the Mexican plant Ipomœa purga (or Exogonium purga), a climber much like the morning-glory. The abstract, extract, and powder, prepared from the tubers, are well known purgative medicines. Other species of Ipomœa yield several inferior kinds of jalap, as the I. Orizabensis, and I. tuberosa. False jalap, the root of Mirabilis Jalapa, four-o’clock, or marvel of Peru.

Jalousied
Ja•lou•sied´, a. Furnished with jalousies; as jalousied porches.

Jamacina
Jam•a•ci´na, n. [NL.] Jamaicine.

Jamaica
Ja•mai´ca, n. One of the West India islands. Jamaica ginger, a variety of ginger, called also white ginger, prepared in Jamaica from the best roots, which are deprived of their epidermis and dried separately. — Jamaica pepper, allspice. — Jamaica rose (Bot.), a West Indian melastomaceous shrub ( Blakea trinervis), with showy pink flowers.

Jambee
Jam•bee´, n. [See Jamb, n. : cf. OF. jamboier to walk.] A fashionable cane. [Obs.] Tatler. { Jambes, Jam´beux } n. pl. [From F. jambe a leg: cf. OF. jambiere. See Jamb, n. ] (Ancient Armor) In the Middle Ages, armor for the legs below the knees. [Written also giambeux.] Chaucer.

Jambolana
Jam•bo•la´na, n. [Cf. Pg. jambolão a kind of tropical fruit.] (Bot.) A myrtaceous tree of the West Indies and tropical America ( Calyptranthes Jambolana), with astringent bark, used for dyeing. It bears an edible fruit.

Jamdani
Jam´da•ni, n. A silk fabric, with a woven pattern of sprigs of flowers. [Written also jamdanee.] Balfour (Cyc. of India).

Jan (jan), n. [Ar.] (Moham. Myth.) One of an intermediate order between angels and men.

Jane-of-apes
Jane´-of-apes´, n. A silly, pert girl; — corresponding to jackanapes. Massinger.

Janitor
Jan´i•tor, n. [L., fr. janua a door.] A door-keeper; a porter; one who has the care of a public building, or a building occupied for offices, suites of rooms, etc. { Jan´i•tress, Jan´i•trix } n. [L. janitrix. See Janitor.] A female janitor.

Janizar
Jan´i•zar, n. A janizary. [R.] Byron.

Janthina
Jan´thi•na, n. (Zoöl.) See Ianthina.

Jantily
Jan´ti•ly, adv. See Jauntily.

Jantiness
Jan´ti•ness, n. See Jauntiness.

Jantu
Jan´tu n. A machine of great antiquity, used in Bengal for raising water to irrigate land. Knight.

January
Jan´u•a•ry, n. [L. Januarius, fr. Janus an old Latin deity, the god of the sun and the year, to whom the month of January was sacred; cf. janua a door, Skr. ya to go.] The first month of the year, containing thirty-one days. Before the adoption of New Style, the commencement of the year was usually reckoned from March 25.

Janus-faced
Ja´nus-faced, a. Double- faced; deceitful. Janus-faced lock, one having duplicate faces so as to go upon a right or a left hand door, the key entering on either side indifferently. Knight.

Japan current. A branch of the equatorial current of the Pacific, washing the eastern coast of Formosa and thence flowing northeastward past Japan and merging into the easterly drift of the North Pacific; — called also Kuro-Siwo, or Black Stream, in allusion to the deep blue of its water. It is similar in may ways to the Gulf Stream.

Jargon
Jar´gon, n. [F. jargon, OF. also gargon, perh. akin to E. garrulous, or gargle.] Confused, unintelligible language; gibberish; hence, an artificial idiom or dialect; cant language; slang. "A barbarous jargon." Macaulay. "All jargon of the schools." Prior.
"The jargon which serves the traffickers." Johnson.

Jargon
Jar´gon (jär"gon), v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Jargoned (-gond); p. pr. & vb. n. Jargoning.] To utter jargon; to emit confused or unintelligible sounds; to talk unintelligibly, or in a harsh and noisy manner.
"The noisy jay, Jargoning like a foreigner at his food." Longfellow.

Jargon
Jar´gon, n. [E. jargon, It. jiargone; perh. fr. Pers. zargn gold-colored, fr. zar gold. Cf. Zircon.] (Min.) A variety of zircon. See Zircon.

Jargonelle
Jar•go•nelle´, n. [F. jargonelle a very gritty variety of pear. See Jargon zircon.] A variety of pear which ripens early.

Jargonic
Jar•gon´ic, a. Of or pertaining to the mineral jargon.

Jarnut
Jar´nut, n. [Of Scand. origin: cf. Dan. jordnöd.] (Bot.) An earthnut. Dr. Prior.

Jarring
Jar´ring, a. [See Jar.] Shaking; disturbing; discordant. "A jarring sound." Dryden.

Jarring
Jar´ring n.
1. A shaking; a tremulous motion; as the jarring of a steamship, caused by its engines.
2. Discord; a clashing of interests. "Endless jarrings and immortal hate." Dryden.

Jasp, n. Jasper. [Obs.] Spenser.

Jasper
Jas´per, n. [OE. jaspre, jaspe, OF. jaspre, jaspe, F. jaspe, L. iaspis, Gr. ; cf. Per. yashp, yashf, Ar. yashb, yasb, yasf, Heb. yashpheh. Cf. Diaper.] (Min.) An opaque, impure variety of quartz, of red, yellow, and other dull colors, breaking with a smooth surface. It admits of a high polish, and is used for vases, seals, snuff boxes, etc. When the colors are in stripes or bands, it is called striped or banded jasper. The Egyptian pebble is a brownish yellow jasper. Jasper opal, a yellow variety of opal resembling jasper. — Jasper ware, a delicate kind of earthenware invented by Josiah Wedgwood. It is usually white, but is capable of receiving color.

Jasperated
Jas´per•a•ted, a. mixed with jasper; containing particles of jasper; as jasperated agate.

Jaspery
Jas´per•y, a. Of the nature of jasper; mixed with jasper. { Jas•pid´e•an, Jas•pid´e•ous } a. [L. iaspideus. See Jasper.] Consisting of jasper, or containing jasper; jaspery; jasperlike.

Jaspilite
Jas´pi•lite, n. [ Jasper + -lite.] (Min.) A compact siliceous rock resembling jasper.

Jatrophic
Ja•troph´ic, a. Of or pertaining to physic nuts, the seeds of plants of the genus Jatropha.

Jaundice
Jaun´dice ( 277), n. [OE. jaunis, F. jaunisse, fr. jaune yellow, orig. jalne, fr. L. galbinus yellowish, fr. galbus yellow.] (Med.) A morbid condition, characterized by yellowness of the eyes, skin, and urine, whiteness of the faeces, constipation, uneasiness in the region of the stomach, loss of appetite, and general languor and lassitude. It is caused usually by obstruction of the biliary passages and consequent damming up, in the liver, of the bile, which is then absorbed into the blood. Blue jaundice. See Cyanopathy.

Jaundice
Jaun´dice, v. t. To affect with jaundice; to color by prejudice or envy; to prejudice.
"The envy of wealth jaundiced his soul." Ld. Lytton.

Java
Ja´va, n.
1. One of the islands of the Malay Archipelago belonging to the Netherlands.
2. Java coffee, a kind of coffee brought from Java. Java cat (Zoöl.), the musang. — Java sparrow (Zoöl.), a species of finch ( Padda oryzivora), native of Java, but very commonly kept as a cage bird; — called also ricebird, and paddy bird. In the male the upper parts are glaucous gray, the head and tail black, the under parts delicate rose, and the cheeks white. The bill is large and red. A white variety is also kept as a cage bird.

Jawing
Jaw´ing, n. Scolding; clamorous or abusive talk. [Slang] H. Kingsley.

Jawy
Jaw´y, a. Relating to the jaws. Gayton.

Jayet
Jay´et, n. (Min.) See Jet. [Obs.]

Jayhawker
Jay´hawk•er, n. A name given to a free-booting, unenlisted, armed man or guerrilla. [A term of opprobrium used in the war of 1861-65, U. S.]