Where does “jay” come from?
Jay comes from Middle English jay, from Old French jai, from Frankish gāhi, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰengʰ-.
jay (English): Any one of the numerous species of birds...
Definitions
- Any one of the numerous species of birds...
Ancestry of “jay”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | jay | jay |
| 2 | Old French | jai | jay |
| 3 | Latin | gaius | — |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | *Gāwjos | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | geh₂w- | to rejoice |