Etymograph

English

jam

First attested in the early 18th c.

The story

First attested in the early 18th c. as a verb meaning “to press, be pressed, be wedged in”. The "performance" sense is first attested with regards to jazz in 1929, and its origin, though uncertain, is likely metaphorical, "something sweet made by the combination of many things", with influence from jamboree.uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain.

Another origin of jam

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*yém-o-sreconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*yámasreconstructed
  3. Proto-Iranianprehistoric (reconstructed)*yām-‘to hold’reconstructed
  4. Middle Persianc. 300 BCE–900 CEyʾmk'jāmag
  5. Persianc. 900–presentجامه‘garment’
  6. Englishtodayjam

Borrowed from Persian جامه (‘garment’) and/or Hindustani (Hindi जामा (jāmā) / Urdu جامہ (jāma)), meaning "garment, robe".

Today it means

noun A sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar and allowed to congeal. Often spread on bread or toast or used in jam tarts

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

Etymograph / jam

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