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jitney

Pronunciation: /ˈd͡ʒɪtni/

The English word “jitney” has 7 meanings listed here.

noun

  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. Synonym of shared taxi, a taxi usually shared with strangers to maximize profitability per trip.
  5. An informal lawn bowling, curling, or darts competition in which all players present are randomly drawn into teams.
  6. A fraudulent arrangement whereby a broker who has direct access to an exchange executes trades on behalf of a broker who does not.

adjective

  1. Synonym of cheap, very inexpensive.

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…

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.