jabberwock                    nonsense, gibberish

jabot                         lace frill worn on shirt or dress front

jacent                        lying flat; sluggish

jacinthe                      a moderate orange colour

jack                          1. medieval leather coat worn as armour

jack                          2. ship's flag flown from jack-staff at bow of vessel

jackanapes                    impudent child; conceited fellow

jackanory                     rhyming slang for story, often used in the sense of a tall story

jack-block                    pulley system for raising topgallant masts

jack-cross-tree               single iron cross-tree at head of a topgallant mast

jackleg                       an amateur; characterized by unscrupulousness, dishonesty or lack or standards; makeshift

jackpudding                   a clown; a buffoon; a merry-andrew

jackstaff                     short staff at ship's bow from which the jack is hoisted

jackstay                      iron or wooden bar running along yard of ship to which sails fastened

jackyard                      spar used to spread the foot of a gaff-topsail

jacobin                       extremist or radical in politics

jaconet                       stout cotton cloth

jacquard                      intricately-woven variegated fabric; loom for making jacquard

jacquerie                     the uprising of the French peasants against the nobility in 1358; a peasant revolt, esp. a very bloody one

jactancy                      the act of boasting or bragging

jactation                     1. boasting, bragging

jactation                     2. restless tossing in bed, characteristic of severe fevers and certain mental disorders

jactitate                     to toss and turn or to toss back and forth

jactitation                   1. a tossing, twitching or jerking of the body; a false claim

jactitation                   2. the act of bragging; false boasting or assertion made to the prejudice of another person

jaculation                    the act of throwing or hurling

jaculiferous                  having sharp prickles

jade                          pitiful horse; a nag

jaggery                       coarse and dark sugar

jakes                         a privy

jalouse                       to suspect; to be jealous of;  to surmise

jalousie                      outside shutter with slats

jamais                        never

jamais vu                     the denial of something actually seen

jambeau                       armour worn on the legs

jambiya                       curved dagger with two edges

jamfle                        to shuffle in walking, as if in consequence of wearing shoes which are too wide

jampan                        an Indian sedan chair

janiform                      having two faces

janissary                     a member of a group of loyal supporters

janitrix                      a female janitor

janizary                      a follower or supporter

janker                        long pole on wheels for transporting logs

jannock                       outspoken; honest; outgoing; pleasant; to be fair, genuine

jansky                        unit of strength of radio wave emission

japan                         glossy black varnish or lacquer

japanophilia                  love or admiration for Japan or the Japanese

jarble                        to smear with grime and mud

jardinière                    container for displaying flowers

jargogle                      to confuse or jumble; mix things up

jargonaut                     someone who uses an excessive amount of jargon

jargonelle                    a variety of corse-grained pear which ripens early

jargoon                       brilliant pale or colourless zircon

jark                          seal or insignia on a counterfeit document

jarkman                       a vagabond who fabricates counterfeit passes, licenses and certificates for others

jarta                         term of endearment

jaseran                       fine chain mail jacket

jaspe                         cotton or rayon cloth with shaded effect

jasperated                    mottled; streaked with various colours

jauk                          to dally or to trifle, or to be slow in performing tasks

jaunce                        to prance; to cause a horse to prance

jawbation                     a rebuke, reproof, esp. one of a lengthy and tedious character; a talking to, a lecture; also a long discussion

jawhole                       an uncovered sewer, house-drain, or cesspool

jazzetry                      poetry read to jazz accompaniment

jebel                         hill or mountain

jecoral                       of, like or pertaining to the liver

jectigation                   a wagging, tremulous movement

jeeter                        a rude, uncouth slob

jeevesian                     characteristic of the perfect valet; Jeeves-like

jehu                          a coachman, especially one who drives at a rattling pace

jejeunosity                   lacking content; naiveté

jejunator                     one who fasts

jejune                        lacking interest or significance; dull or insipid; dry; empty

jellygraph                    old device for copying that used a plate of jelly

jemadar                       an Indian police or customs officer

jemmy                         burglar's short crowbar

jennet                        small Spanish horse

jenneting                     early type of apple

jentacular                    pertaining to breakfast

jentation                     breakfast

jeofail                       an omission or oversight in a law proceeding

jeopardous                    fraught with risk or danger; hazardous, perilous

jeremiad                      prolonged complaint; angry or cautionary harangue; lamentation

jerkinhead                    truncated gable with a lipped roof

jernie!                       an oath meaning, "I renounce God!"

jeroboam                      an oversize wine bottle holding about four 26-ounce quarts

jerque                        to search for things that have been smuggled

jess                          ringed strap tied to leg of falcon or hawk

jessamy                       yellow like a jasmine

jessant                       in heraldry, overlying

jesserant                     splinted armour

jesticulous                   ridiculous

jesuitical                    cunning; quibbling

jesuitocracy                  government by jesuits

jetavator                     control surface for deflecting rocket exhaust

jeton                         stamped metal token used in card-playing or reckoning accounts

jetsam                        stuff thrown overboard to lighten the load in time of distress which sinks or is washed ashore

jettatura                     the evil eye; bad luck

jib                           small triangular sail extending from the head of the foremast

jibboom                       spar forming an extension of the bowsprit

jibe                          to change a ship's course to make the boom shift sides

jicama                        an edible starchy tuberous root of a leguminous tropical American vine

jiffle                        to fidget or shuffle

jiffy                         1/100 of a second; one millisecond; approximately one nanosecond; indeterminate time from a few seconds to forever

jigamaree                     a thingamajig; a cunning manoeuvre

jiggermast                    aftermost mast of a four-masted ship

jiggery-pokery                deceitful or dishonest manipulation

jiggumbob                     a thingamabob; a gadget; a whatsit; a gewgaw

jillick                       to skip a stone across water

jim-jams                      the jitters; delirium tremens

jimswinger                    a frock coat

jink                          to move quickly with sudden turns and shifts

jinker                        light horse-drawn passenger carriage

jirble                        the action of spilling liquid by means of unsteady movements, trembling or shaking of the container

jitney                        small passenger vehicle

jitterbug                     jazz dance featuring vigorous acrobatic feats

jnana                         knowledge obtained through meditation

jo                            sweetheart

jobates                       scolds

jobation                      a long, tedious criticism; scolding, lecture

jobbernowl                    blockhead, nincompoop

jobbery                       the conduct of public business for private gain

jobsworth                     an official who mindlessly upholds petty rules

jocko                         a chimpanzee

jockteleg                     large clasp knife

jocose                        merry; characterized by joking

jocoserious                   half in jest; half serious; combining serious and humorous matters

joculator                     1. professional jester or minstrel

joggle                        2. to move shakily or jerkily

joggle                        tooth or pin to prevent surfaces from slipping

johnny                        fellow, guy; a short-sleeved collarless gown with an opening in the back

joinder                       legal uniting or joining

jointure                      property granted to wife for use after husband's death

joist                         beam supporting boards of a floor or laths of a ceiling

jokul                         a mountain covered with ice and snow (in Iceland)

jolley                        guide for fixing a pottery mould for plates

jollux                        a rotund person; fat

jollyboat                     small boat kept hoisted at ship's stern

jolterhead                    clumsy oaf; blockhead

jongleur                      wandering minstrel

jookerie                      trickery or the act of swindling

joola                         a suspension bridge built out of ropes

jordan                        a chamberpot

jorum                         large bowl containing drinks

joss                          luck, fate

jota                          fast Spanish folk dance in triple time

jougs                         iron collar attached to post and put around neck as punishment

jounce                        to bump or jolt

jovialist                     a convivial person

jow                           to ring a bell; a stroke of a bell

jowfair                       an event which does not occur after much planning, such as a wedding with no groom

jowter                        a person who sells fish

juba                          dance with clapping and leg slapping performed by southern blacks

jubate                        maned; having or possessing a mane

jubbah                        long loose outer garment worn by muslims

jube                          ornamental choir-screen

jubilarian                    one who celebrates a jubilee, especially a priest, monk, or nun

jubilate                      1. the third sunday after easter

jubilate                      2. to rejoice, exult; hence, jubilating

jud                           mass of coal ready for final removal

judder                        strong vibration in an aircraft

judicature                    power of dispensing justice by trial

judogi                        jacket and trousers worn by practitioner of judo

jug                           sound of the nightingale

jugate                        side by side; in pairs; overlapping

juggins                       a simpleton

juglandaceous                 of, like or pertaining to walnuts

jugulate                      to slit the throat

julep                         sweetened and often medicated drink

jumar                         mountaineering clip that grips rope when weight is applied

jumart                        impossible mythical offspring of a cow and donkey

jumbal                        thin crisp sweet cake

jumboism                      admiration for large things

jumelle                       paired or twinned article; opera-glasses

jumentous                     1. like a horse

jumentous                     2. smelling like horse urine

jumentous                     smelling of a stable, or horse urine

juncaceous                    of, like or pertaining to rushes

juntocracy                    government by a junta

jupon                         sleeveless jacket worn beneath a hauberk

jural                         of, like or pertaining to the law

juramentum                    oath

jurant                        taking an oath; one who takes an oath

jurat                         memorandum at end of affidavit showing to whom it was sworn

juratory                      of, like or pertaining to an oath

jure                          by law

jurimetrics                   application of scientific methods to legal problems

jurisconsult                  legal expert

jurymast                      mast erected on ship in place of one lost

jus                           law; legal right

jussive                       expressing a command

juste milieu                  the happy medium, the golden mean; judicious moderation, esp. in politics

justiciar                     administrator of justice; supreme judge

jutty                         projecting part of a wall

juvament                      help, aid, assistance

juvenal                       a youth; young bird's plumage

juvenescence                  the state of growing young

juvenescent                   becoming youthful

juvenilia                     works of one's youth; early works of an artist or author

juxtapositive                 indicating juxtaposition