jitney
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jitney
- /ˈd͡ʒɪtni/
- /ˈʒiː-/
Where it comes from
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.
noun jitneys
-
Synonym of nickel, a 5-cent coin or amount.
Similar: nickel
-
Synonym of minibus, especially one with a scheduled fixed route.
Similar: minibus
-
Synonym of gypsy cab, an unlicensed taxi.
Similar: gypsy cab
-
Synonym of shared taxi, a taxi usually shared with strangers to maximize profitability per trip.
[…] I said good-by and took the bags downstairs and hailed a Frisco taxi-jitney, which was an ordinary taxi that ran a regular route and you could hail it from any corner and ride to any corner you want for about fifteen cents, cramped in with other passengers like on a bus, but talking and telling
Similar: shared taxi
- An informal lawn bowling, curling, or darts competition in which all players present are randomly drawn into teams.
- A fraudulent arrangement whereby a broker who has direct access to an exchange executes trades on behalf of a broker who does not.
adjective
-
Synonym of cheap, very inexpensive.
Similar: cheap, very inexpensive
Talk about this word "jitney." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/jitney. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. jitney. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/jitney "jitney." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/jitney.Cite this
@misc{jitney_2026,
title = {jitney},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/jitney},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
