Jager Ja"ger noun [ German
jäger a hunter, a sportsman. Confer
Yager .] [ Written also
jaeger .]
1. (Mil.) A sharpshooter. See Yager . 2. (Zoology) Any species of gull of the genus Stercorarius . Three species occur on the Atlantic coast. The jagers pursue other species of gulls and force them to disgorge their prey. The two middle tail feathers are usually decidedly longer than the rest. Called also boatswain , and marline-spike bird . The name is also applied to the skua, or Arctic gull ( Megalestris skua ).
Jagg Jagg transitive verb & noun See Jag .
Jagged Jag"ged (jăg"gĕd)
adjective Having jags; having rough, sharp notches, protuberances, or teeth; cleft; laciniate; divided; as, jagged rocks. "
Jagged vine leaves' shade."
Trench. --
Jag"ged*ly ,
adverb --
Jag"ged*ness ,
noun
Jagger Jag"ger (jăg"gẽr)
noun One who carries about a small load; a peddler. See 2d Jag . [ Scot.]
Sir W. Scott.
Jagger Jag"ger noun [ From 4th
Jag .]
One who, or that which, jags; specifically: (a) jagging iron used for crimping pies, cakes, etc. (b) A toothed chisel. See Jag , transitive verb Jagger spring ,
a spring beneath a seat, and resting on cleats or blocks in the body of a vehicle. Knight.
Jaggery Jag"ger·y noun [ Hind
jāgrī . Confer
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.
Jaggy Jag"gy adjective Having jags; set with teeth; notched; uneven; as, jaggy teeth. Addison.
Jaghir Ja"ghir noun [ Persian
jāgīr .]
A village or district the government and revenues of which are assigned to some person, usually in consideration of some service to be rendered, esp. the maintenance of troops. [ Written also
jaghire ,
jagir , etc.] [ India]
Whitworth.
Jaghirdar Ja"ghir·dar` noun [ Persian
jāgīr-dār .]
The holder of a jaghir.
Jagua palm Ja"gua palm` [ Spanish jagua the fruit of the jagua palm.] (Botany) A great Brazilian palm ( Maximiliana regia ), having immense spathes which are used for baskets and tubs.
Jaguar Ja·guar" noun [ Braz.
yagoára : confer & Portuguese
jaguar .]
(Zoology) A large and powerful feline animal ( Felis onca ), ranging from Texas and Mexico to Patagonia. It is usually brownish yellow, with large, dark, somewhat angular rings, each generally inclosing one or two dark spots. It is chiefly arboreal in its habits. Called also the American tiger .
Jaguarondi Ja`gua·ron"di noun [ Native name.]
(Zoology) A South American wild cat ( Felis jaguarondi ), having a long, slim body and very short legs. Its color is grayish brown, varied with a blackish hue. It is arboreal in its habits and feeds mostly on birds.
Jah Jah (jä)
noun [ Hebrew
yāh .]
Jehovah. Ps. lxviii. 4.
Jahvist Jah"vist noun ,
Jah*vis"tic adjective See Jehovist , Jehovistic .
Jail Jail noun [ Middle English
jaile ,
gail ,
gayhol , Old French
gaole ,
gaiole ,
jaiole , French
geôle , Late Latin
gabiola , dim. of
gabia cage, for Latin
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 (Medicine) ,
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 Jail transitive verb To imprison. [ R.]
T. Adams (1614). [ Bolts] that jail you from free life.
Tennyson.
Jailer Jail"er noun [ Middle English
jailer ,
gailer , Old French
geolier , French
geôlier . See
Jail .]
The keeper of a jail or prison. [ Written also
jailor ,
gaoler .]
Jain, Jaina Jain, Jai"na noun [ Sanskrit
Jaina , from
Jina , a proper name, from
jina victorious.]
One of a numerous sect in British India, holding the tenets of Jainism.
Jainism Jain"ism noun 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.
Jairou Jai·rou" noun [ Native name.]
(Zoology) The ahu or Asiatic gazelle.
Jak Jak noun (Botany) see 1st Jack .
Jakes Jakes noun [ Prob. from French
Jacques , the proper name. See 2d
Jack .]
A privy. Shak.
Jakie Ja"kie noun (Zoology) A South American striped frog ( Pseudis paradoxa ), remarkable for having a tadpole larger than the adult, and hence called also paradoxical frog .
Jako Jak"o (jăk"o)
noun (Zoology) An African parrot ( Psittacus erithacus ), very commonly kept as a cage bird; -- called also gray parrot .
Jakwood Jak"wood` noun See Jackwood .
Jalap Jal"ap noun [ French, from Spanish
jalapa ; -- so called from
Jalapa , a town in Mexico, whence it was first obtained.]
(Medicine) 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.
Jalapic Ja·lap"ic adjective Of or pertaining to jalap.
Jalapin Jal"a·pin noun (Chemistry) A glucoside found in the stems of the jalap plant and scammony. It is a strong purgative.
Jalons Ja`lons" noun plural [ French Of unknown origin.]
(Mil.) Long poles, topped with wisps of straw, used as landmarks and signals. Farrow.
Jalousie Ja`lou`sie" noun [ French See
Jealousy .]
A Venetian or slatted inside window blind.
Jalousied Ja`lou`sied" adjective Furnished with jalousies; as, jalousied porches.
Jam Jam noun [ Persian or Hind.
jāmah garment, robe.]
A kind of frock for children.
Jam Jam noun (Mining) See Jamb .
Jam Jam transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Jammed ;
present participle & verbal noun Jamming .] [ Either from
jamb , as if squeezed between
jambs , or more likely from the same source as
champ See
Champ .]
1. To press into a close or tight position; to crowd; to squeeze; to wedge in. The . . . jammed in between two rocks.
De Foe. 2. To crush or bruise; as, to jam a finger in the crack of a door. [ Colloq.]
3. (Nautical) To bring (a vessel) so close to the wind that half her upper sails are laid aback. W. C. Russell.
Jam Jam noun 1. A mass of people or objects crowded together; also, the pressure from a crowd; a crush; as, a jam in a street; a jam of logs in a river. 2. An injury caused by jamming. [ Colloq.]
Jam Jam noun [ Prob. from
jam , v.; but confer also Arabic
jamad ice, jelly,
jāmid congealed,
jamd congelation, ice.]
A preserve of fruit boiled with sugar and water; as, raspberry jam ; currant jam ; grape jam . Jam nut .
See Check nut , under Check . --
Jam weld (Forging) ,
a butt weld. See under Butt .
Jamacina Jam`a·ci"na noun [ New Latin ]
Jamaicine.
Jamadar Jam"a·dar noun Same as Jemidar .
Jamaica Ja·mai"ca noun 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 (Botany) ,
a West Indian melastomaceous shrub ( Blakea trinervis ), with showy pink flowers.
Jamaican Ja·mai"can adjective Of or pertaining to Jamaica. --
noun A native or inhabitant of Jamaica.
Jamaicine Ja·ma"i·cine noun [ From
Jamaica .]
(Chemistry) An alkaloid said to be contained in the bark of Geoffroya inermis , a leguminous tree growing in Jamaica and Surinam; -- called also jamacina . Watts.
Jamb Jamb noun [ Prov. English
jaumb ,
jaum , French
jambe a leg,
jambe de force a principal rafter. See
Gambol .]
1. (Arch) The vertical side of any opening, as a door or fireplace; hence, less properly, any narrow vertical surface of wall, as the of a chimney-breast or of a pier, as distinguished from its face. Gwilt. 2. (Mining) Any thick mass of rock which prevents miners from following the lode or vein.
Jamb Jamb transitive verb See Jam , transitive verb
Jambee Jam·bee" noun [ See
Jamb ,
noun :
cf . Old French
jamboier to walk.]
A fashionable cane. [ Obsolete]
Tatler.
Jambes, Jambeux Jambes, Jam"beux noun plural [ From French
jambe a leg: confer Old French
jambiere . See
Jamb ,
noun ]
(Ancient Armor) In the Middle Ages, armor for the legs below the knees. [ Written also
giambeux .]
Chaucer.
Jambolana Jam`bo·la"na noun [ Confer Portuguese
jambolão a kind of tropical fruit.]
(Botany) A myrtaceous tree of the West Indies and tropical America ( Calyptranthes Jambolana ), with astringent bark, used for dyeing. It bears an edible fruit.
Jambool, Jambul Jam"bool, Jam"bul noun [ Hind.
jambū ,
jambūl , prop., the rose-apple tree or its fruit, from Sanskrit
jambu ,
jambū .]
The Java plum; also, a drug obtained from its bark and seeds, used as a remedy for diabetes.
Jambooree Jam`boo·ree" noun [ Etym. uncertain. Confer
Jambone .]
A noisy or unrestrained carousal or frolic; a spree. [ Slang]
Kipling. A Calcutta-made pony cart had been standing in front of the manager's bungalow when Raja Singh started on his jamboree .
W. A. Fraser.
Jamdani Jam"da·ni noun A silk fabric, with a woven pattern of sprigs of flowers. [ Written also
jamdanee .]
Balfour (Cyc. of India).