jitney
Plural: jitneys
Noun
- A small bus or car that carries passengers for a low fare.
- a vehicle carrying many passengers; used for public transport
- Synonym of nickel, a 5-cent coin or amount.
- Synonym of minibus, especially one with a scheduled fixed route.
- Synonym of gypsy cab, an unlicensed taxi.
- Synonym of shared taxi, a taxi usually shared with strangers to maximize profitability per trip.
- 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.
Adj
- Synonym of cheap, very inexpensive.
Examples
- He used "JITNEY" to traverse the board, connecting distant high-scoring spots.
Origin / 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.
Synonyms
autobus, bus, charabanc, coach, double-decker, motorbus, motorcoach, omnibus, passenger vehicle, cheap, gypsy cab, minibus, nickel, shared taxi, very inexpensive
Scrabble Score: 16
jitney: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordjitney: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
jitney: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary