jitney

noun
/ˈd͡ʒɪtni/

Etymology

1886, originally for a five-cent US coin (a nickel); use for taxis and buses due to these services originally charging five cents as fare, popularized circa 1915. The etymology is uncertain; it is believed to originate from Louisiana Creole jetnée, from French jeton (“token, coin-sized metal disc”), though this is disputed. Evidence for the Louisiana Creole French origin includes the geographic distribution (Southeastern US, especially Black/African-American), and early spelling as gitney, which is common French spelling for the /ʒi/ pronunciation.

  1. derived from jeton
  2. borrowed from jetnée

Definitions

  1. Synonym of nickel, a 5-cent coin or amount.

  2. Synonym of minibus, especially one with a scheduled fixed route.

  3. Synonym of gypsy cab, an unlicensed taxi.

  4. + 4 more definitions
    1. Synonym of shared taxi, a taxi usually shared with strangers to maximize profitability…

      Synonym of shared taxi, a taxi usually shared with strangers to maximize profitability per trip.

    2. An informal lawn bowling, curling, or darts competition in which all players present are…

      An informal lawn bowling, curling, or darts competition in which all players present are randomly drawn into teams.

    3. A fraudulent arrangement whereby a broker who has direct access to an exchange executes…

      A fraudulent arrangement whereby a broker who has direct access to an exchange executes trades on behalf of a broker who does not.

    4. Synonym of cheap, very inexpensive.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for jitney. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA