Etymograph

English

Jedi

Jedi comes from Japanese 時代劇 ‘‘period drama’ motion pictures about samurai’.

  1. Japanesemodern時代劇jidaigeki‘‘period drama’ motion pictures about samurai’
  2. EnglishtodayJedi

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Japanesemodern時代劇jidaigeki‘‘period drama’ motion pictures about samurai’
  2. EnglishtodayJedi

first attested Coined by American filmmaker George Lucas as early as 1973 (in the manuscript Journal of the Whills) and first used in his 1977 film Star Wars (as stated in the etymology)

The story

Coined by American filmmaker George Lucas as early as 1973 (in the manuscript Journal of the Whills) and first used in his 1977 film Star Wars. Said to have been adapted from Japanese 時代劇 (jidaigeki, “‘period drama’ motion pictures about samurai”), or perhaps inspired by the words Jed (King) and Jeddak (Emperor) in the Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, which Lucas had considered adapting to film. Another potential influence on the word "Jedi" is Hebrew ידיד (yadíd, “beloved; male friend”). In his book The Secret History of Star Wars, Michael Kaminski suggests that Lucas may have been influenced by this term when creating the name for his knights.

Every English word from Japanese 時代劇

Today it means

noun One of a fictional order of beings from the Star Wars universe who are gifted with heightened awareness of the Force.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Japanese 時代劇 / Jedi

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