jeal·ous ['je-ləs] -adj, adv, n

  1. intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness
  2. disposed to suspect rivalry or unfaithfulness
  3. hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage
  4. vigilant in guarding a possession
    • new colonies were jealous of their new independence -- Scott Buchanan

jeal·ou·sy ['je-lə-sē] -n

  1. a jealous disposition, attitude, or feeling
  2. zealous vigilance

jean ['jēn] -n

  1. a durable twilled cotton cloth used esp. for sportswear and work clothes
  2. pants usu. made of jean or denim usu. used in pl.

jeep ['jēp] -n

  1. a small general-purpose motor vehicle with 80-inch wheelbase, -ton capacity, and four-wheel drive used by the U.S. Army in World War II
  2. a similar but larger and more powerful U.S. army vehicle
  3. to travel by jeep

Jeep -trademark

  1. used for a civilian automotive vehicle

jee·pers ['jē-pərz] -interj

  1. used as a mild oath

jeepers cree·pers [-'krē-pərz] -interj

  1. jeepers

jeep·ney ['jēp-nē] -n

  1. a Philippine jitney bus converted from a jeep

jeer ['jir] -vb, n, adv

  1. to speak or cry out with derision or mockery
  2. to deride with jeers : taunt
  3. a jeering remark or sound : taunt

jeez ['jēz] -interj

  1. used as a mild oath or introductory expletive (as to express surprise)

je·fe ['hā-(,)fā, 'he-; 'he-fē] -n

  1. chief, leader

Jef·fer·son Da·vis's Birthday ['je-fər-sən-'dā-və-səz-] -n

  1. the first Monday in June observed as a legal holiday in many Southern states

Jef·frey pine ['je-frē-] -n

  1. a tall pine ( Pinus jeffreyi) of the western U.S. having elongated cones and long needles in groups of three

jehad [ji-'häd, chiefly Brit -'had] -n

(variant of jihad)

  1. a holy war waged on behalf of Islam as a religious duty
  2. a personal struggle in devotion to Islam esp. involving spiritual discipline
  3. a crusade for a principle or belief

Je·hosh·a·phat [ji-'hä-sə-,fat, -shə-] -n

  1. a king of Judah who brought Judah into an alliance with the northern kingdom of Israel in the ninth century b.c.

Je·ho·vah [ji-'hō-və] -n

  1. god

Jehovah's Witness -n

  1. a member of a group that witness by distributing literature and by personal evangelism to beliefs in the theocratic rule of God, the sinfulness of organized religions and governments, and an imminent millennium

je·hu ['jē-(,)hyü, -(,)hü] -n

  1. a king of Israel in the ninth century b.c.who according to the account in II Kings had Jezebel killed in accordance with Elijah's prophecy
  2. a driver of a coach or cab

je·ju·nal [ji-'jü-nᵊl] -adj

  1. of or relating to the jejunum

je·june [ji-'jün] -adj, adv, n

  1. lacking nutritive value
    • jejune diets
  2. devoid of significance or interest : dull
    • jejune lectures
  3. juvenile, puerile
    • jejune reflections on life and art

je·ju·num [ji-'jü-nəm] -n

  1. the section of the small intestine that comprises the first two fifths beyond the duodenum and that is larger, thicker-walled, and more vascular and has more circular folds than the ileum

Je·kyll and Hyde ['je-kəl-ən-'hīd also 'jē- or 'jā-] -n

  1. one having a two-sided personality one side of which is good and the other evil

jell ['jel] -vb

  1. to come to the consistency of jelly : congeal, set
  2. to take shape and achieve distinctness : become cohesive
  3. to cause to jell

jellied gasoline -n

  1. napalm

JellO ['je-(,)lō] -trademark

  1. used for a gelatin dessert usu. with the flavor and color of fruit

jel·ly ['je-lē] -n, adj

  1. a soft somewhat elastic food product made usu. with gelatin or pectin
  2. a fruit product made by boiling sugar and the juice of fruit
  3. a substance resembling jelly in consistency
  4. a state of fear or irresolution
  5. a shapeless structureless mass : pulp

jelly -vb

  1. jell
  2. to make jelly
  3. to bring to the consistency of jelly

jelly bean -n

  1. a sugar-glazed bean-shaped candy

jel·ly·fish ['je-lē-,fish] -n

  1. a free-swimming marine coelenterate that is the sexually reproducing form of a hydrozoan or scyphozoan and has a nearly transparent saucer-shaped body and extensible marginal tentacles studded with stinging cells
  2. siphonophore
  3. ctenophore
  4. a person lacking backbone or firmness

jelly roll -n

  1. a thin sheet of sponge cake spread with jelly and rolled up

jel·u·tong ['je-lə-,tȯŋ] -n

  1. any of several trees (genus Dyera) of the dogbane family
  2. the resinous rubbery latex of a jelutong (esp. Dyera costulata) used esp. as a chicle substitute

jem·my ['je-mē] -n

  1. jimmy

je ne sais quoi [zhə-nə-,sā-'kwä] -n

  1. something that cannot be adequately described or expressed

jen·net ['he-nā, 'je-nət] -n

  1. a small Spanish horse
  2. a female donkey
  3. hinny

jen·ny ['je-nē] -n

  1. a female bird
    • a jenny wren
  2. a female donkey
  3. spinning jenny

je·on [(,)jā-'ȯn] -n

  1. the chon of South Korea

jeop·ard ['je-pərd] -vt

  1. jeopardize

jeop·ar·dise ['je-pər-,dīz] -vt

(variant of jeopardize)

  1. to expose to danger or risk : imperil

jeop·ar·dize ['je-pər-,dīz] -vt

  1. to expose to danger or risk : imperil

jeop·ar·dy ['je-pər-dē] -n

  1. exposure to or imminence of death, loss, or injury : danger
  2. the danger that an accused person is subjected to when on trial for a criminal offense

je·quir·i·ty bean [jə-'kwir-ə-tē-] -n

  1. the poisonous scarlet and black seed of the rosary pea often used for beads
  2. rosary pea

Jer -abbr

  1. Jeremiah; Jeremias

jer·boa [jər-'bō-ə, jer-] -n

  1. any of several social nocturnal jumping rodents (family Dipodidae) of arid parts of Asia and northern Africa having a long tail and long hind legs

jer·e·mi·ad [,jer-ə-'mī-əd, -,ad] -n

  1. a prolonged lamentation or complaint
  2. a cautionary or angry harangue

Jer·e·mi·ah [-'mī-ə] -n

  1. a major Hebrew prophet of the seventh and sixth centuries b.c.
  2. person who is pessimistic about the present and foresees a calamitous future
  3. a prophetic book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture

Jer·e·mi·as [-'mī-əs] -n

  1. jeremiah

jerk ['jərk] -n

  1. a single quick motion of short duration
  2. jolting, bouncing, or thrusting motions
  3. a tendency to produce spasmodic motions
  4. an involuntary spasmodic muscular movement due to reflex action
  5. involuntary twitchings due to nervous excitement
  6. an annoyingly stupid or foolish person
  7. an unlikable person
  8. one who is cruel, rude, or small-minded
  9. the pushing of a weight from shoulder height to a position overhead in weight lifting
  10. to give a quick suddenly arrested push, pull, or twist to
  11. to propel or move with or as if with a quick suddenly arrested motion
  12. to mix and serve (as sodas) behind a soda fountain
  13. to make a sudden spasmodic motion
  14. to move in short abrupt motions or with frequent jolts
  15. to preserve (meat) in long sun-dried slices

jerk around -vt

  1. to treat badly esp. by being underhanded or inconsistent

jer·kin ['jər-kən] -n

  1. a close-fitting hip-length usu. sleeveless jacket

jerk off -vb

  1. masturbate

jerk·wa·ter ['jərk-,wȯ-tər, -,wä-] -adj

  1. remote and unimportant
    • jerkwater towns
  2. trivial

jerky ['jər-kē] -adj, adv, n

  1. moving along with or marked by fits and starts
  2. characterized by abrupt transitions
  3. inane, foolish

jer·ky ['jər-kē] -n

  1. jerked meat

jer·o·bo·am [,jer-ə-'bō-əm] -n

  1. an oversize wine bottle holding about three liters

jer·ri·can ['jer-ē-,kan] -n

  1. a narrow flat-sided container for liquids usu. holding about five U.S. gallons (about 19 liters)

Jer·ry ['jer-ē, 'je-rē] -n

  1. german

jer·rybuild ['jer-ē-,bild] -vt, n

  1. to build cheaply and flimsily

jerrybuilt -adj

  1. built cheaply and unsubstantially
  2. carelessly or hastily put together

jer·ryrigged ['jer-ē-,rigd] -adj

  1. organized or constructed in a crude or improvised manner
    • a jerryrigged plan

jer·sey ['jər-zē] -n

  1. a plain weft-knitted fabric made of wool, cotton, nylon, rayon, or silk and used esp. for clothing
  2. any of various close-fitting usu. circular-knitted garments esp. for the upper body
  3. any of a breed of small short-horned predominantly yellowish brown or fawn dairy cattle noted for their rich milk

Jersey barrier -n

  1. a concrete slab 32 inches high with slanted sides that is used in tandem with others to block or reroute traffic or to divide highways

Jersey pine -n

  1. virginia pine

Je·ru·sa·lem artichoke [jə-,rü-s(ə-)ləm-, -,rüz-ləm-, -'rü-zə-] -n

  1. a perennial sunflower ( Helianthus tuberosus) of the U.S. and Canada widely cultivated for its tubers that are used as a vegetable and as a livestock feed
  2. its tubers

Jerusalem cherry -n

  1. either of two plants ( Solanum pseudocapsicumand S. capsicastrum) of the nightshade family cultivated as ornamental houseplants for their orange to red berries

Jerusalem cricket -n

  1. a large-headed burrowing nocturnal orthopteran insect ( Stenopelmatus fuscus) of the southwestern U.S.

Jerusalem thorn -n

  1. a widely cultivated tropical American spiny shrub or small tree ( Parkinsonia aculeata) of the legume family with pinnate leaves and showy racemose yellow flowers

jess ['jes] -n, adj

  1. a short strap secured on the leg of a hawk and usu. provided with a ring for attaching a leash

jessamine ['jaz-mən] -n

(variant of jasmine)

  1. any of numerous often climbing shrubs (genus Jasminum) of the olive family that usu. have extremely fragrant flowers
  2. a tall-climbing semievergreen Asian shrub ( J. officinale) with fragrant white flowers from which oil is extracted for use in perfumes
  3. any of numerous plants having sweet-scented flowers
  4. yellow jessamine
  5. a light yellow

Jes·se ['je-sē] -n

  1. the father of David, king of Israel, according to the account in I Samuel

jest ['jest] -n, vb

  1. an utterance (as a jeer or quip) intended to be taken as mockery or humor
  2. prank
  3. a ludicrous circumstance or incident
  4. a frivolous mood or manner
    • spoken in jest
  5. gaiety and merriment
  6. laughingstock

jest·er ['jes-tər] -n

  1. fool
  2. one given to jests

Je·su·it ['je-zü-ət, -zhü- also -zyü-] -n, adj, adv

  1. a member of the Roman Catholic Society of Jesus founded by St. Ignatius Loyola in 1534 and devoted to missionary and educational work
  2. one given to intrigue or equivocation

Je·sus ['jē-zəs, -zəz also -,zəs and -,zəz] -n

  1. the Jewish religious teacher whose life, death, and resurrection as reported by the Evangelists are the basis of the Christian message of salvation called also Jesus Christ
  2. the highest human corporeal concept of the divine idea rebuking and destroying error and bringing to light man's immortality

jet ['jet] -n

  1. a compact velvet-black coal that takes a good polish and is often used for jewelry
  2. an intense black
  3. of the color jet
  4. to spout forth : gush
  5. to emit in a stream : spout
  6. a usu. forceful stream of fluid (as water or gas) discharged from a narrow opening or a nozzle
  7. a narrow stream of material (as plasma) emanating or appearing to emanate from a celestial object (as a radio galaxy)
  8. a nozzle for a jet of fluid
  9. something issuing as if in a jet
    • talk poured from her in a brilliant jet -- Time
  10. jet engine
  11. an airplane powered by one or more jet engines
  12. a long narrow current of high-speed winds (as a jet stream)
  13. to travel by jet airplane
  14. to move or progress by or as if by jet propulsion

jet·bead ['jet-,bēd] -n

  1. a deciduous ornamental Asian shrub ( Rhodotypos scandens) of the rose family that has black shiny fruit

jetblack [-'blak] -adj

  1. black as jet

je·te [zhə-'tā] -n

  1. a springing jump in ballet made from one foot to the other in any direction

jet engine -n

  1. an engine that produces motion as a result of the rearward discharge of a jet of fluid
  2. an airplane engine that uses atmospheric oxygen to burn fuel and produces a rearward discharge of heated air and exhaust gases

jet lag ['jet-,lagd] -n, adj

  1. a condition that is characterized by various psychological and physiological effects (as fatigue and irritability), occurs following long flight through several time zones, and prob. results from disruption of circadian rhythms in the human body

jet·lin·er ['jet-,lī-nər] -n

  1. a jet-propelled airliner

jet·port ['jet-,pȯrt] -n

  1. an airport designed to handle jet airplanes

jetpro·pelled ['jet-prə-'peld] -adj

  1. moving by jet propulsion
  2. suggestive of the speed and force of a jet airplane

jet propulsion -n

  1. propulsion of a body produced by the forwardly directed forces of the reaction resulting from the rearward discharge of a jet of fluid
  2. propulsion of an airplane by jet engines

jet·sam ['jet-səm] -n

  1. the part of a ship, its equipment, or its cargo that is cast overboard to lighten the load in time of distress and that sinks or is washed ashore
  2. flotsam

jet set [-,se-tər] -n, adj

  1. an international social group of wealthy individuals who frequent fashionable resorts

Jet Ski -trademark

  1. used for a small motorized usu. recreational watercraft

jet stream -n

  1. a long narrow meandering current of high-speed winds near the tropopause blowing from a generally westerly direction and often exceeding a speed of 250 miles (402 kilometers) per hour

jet·ti·son ['je-tə-sən, -zən] -n

  1. a voluntary sacrifice of cargo to lighten a ship's load in time of distress

jettison [-sə-nə-bəl, -zə-] -vt, adj

  1. to make jettison of
  2. to get rid of as superfluous or encumbering : omit or forgo as part of a plan or as the result of some other decision
    • must be prepared to jettison many romantic notions - Christopher Catling
  3. to drop from an aircraft or spacecraft in flight

jet·ty ['je-tē] -n

  1. a structure extended into a sea, lake, or river to influence the current or tide or to protect a harbor
  2. a protecting frame of a pier
  3. a landing wharf

jetty -vi

  1. project, jut
  2. black as jet

Jet·way ['jet-,wā] -trademark

  1. used for a telescoping passenger ramp between an aircraft and a terminal building

jeu d'es·prit [zhœ-des-'prē] -n

  1. a witty comment or composition

jeu·nesse do·ree [zhœ-nes-dȯ-'rā] -n

  1. young people of wealth and fashion

Jew ['jü] -n

  1. a member of the tribe of Judah
  2. israelite
  3. a member of a nation existing in Palestine from the sixth century b.c.to the first century a.d.
  4. a person belonging to a continuation through descent or conversion of the ancient Jewish people
  5. one whose religion is Judaism

jew·el ['jü-əl, 'jül also 'ju̇l] -n, adj

  1. an ornament of precious metal often set with stones or decorated with enamel and worn as an accessory of dress
  2. one that is highly esteemed
    • regarded the library as the jewel of the campus
  3. a precious stone : gem
  4. a bearing for a pivot (as in a watch) made of crystal, glass, or a gem

jewel -vt

  1. to adorn or equip with jewels
  2. to give beauty to as if with jewels : embellish

jewel box -n

  1. a small box or case designed to hold jewelry
  2. something (as a theater) of exquisite or ornate design
  3. a thin plastic case for a CD or DVD called also jewel case

jew·el·er ['jü-ə-lər, 'jü-lər also 'ju̇-lər] -n

  1. one who makes or repairs jewelry
  2. one who deals in jewelry, precious stones, watches, and usu. silverware and china

jew·el·lery ['jü-əl-rē, 'jül-rē, 'ju̇l-; ÷'jü-lə-rē] -n

(variant of jewelry)

  1. jewels
  2. objects of precious metal often set with gems and worn for personal adornment

jew·el·ry ['jü-əl-rē, 'jül-rē, 'ju̇l-; ÷'jü-lə-rē] -n

  1. jewels
  2. objects of precious metal often set with gems and worn for personal adornment

jewel tone -n

  1. any of various colors (as amethyst, emerald, and ruby) that resemble those of gemstones

jew·el·weed [-,wēd] -n

  1. touch-me-not

Jew·ess ['jü-əs] -n

  1. a Jewish girl or woman

jew·fish ['jü-,fish] -n

  1. any of various large groupers (esp. Epinephelus itajara) that are usu. dusky green, brown, or blackish, thickheaded, and rough-scaled
  2. any of various other large fishes (as Argyrosomus hololepidotus)

Jew·ish ['jü-ish] -adj, adv, n

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Jews
  2. being a Jew

Jewish American Princess -n

  1. a stereotypical well-to-do or spoiled American Jewish girl or woman called also Jewish Princess

Jewish calendar -n

  1. a calendar in use among Jewish peoples that is reckoned from the year 3761 b.c.and dates in its present form from about a.d.360

Jew·ry ['ju̇(-ə)r-ē, 'jü-rē] -n

  1. a community of Jews
  2. the Jewish people

Jew's harp ['jüz-,härp, 'jüs-] -n

  1. a small lyre-shaped instrument that when held between the teeth gives tones from a metal tongue struck by the finger

Jez·e·bel ['je-zə-,bel] -n

  1. the Phoenician wife of Ahab who according to the account in I and II Kings pressed the cult of Baal on the Israelite kingdom but was finally killed in accordance with Elijah's prophecy
  2. an impudent, shameless, or morally unrestrained woman