English
jaywalker
Jaywalker comes from English walker ‘a pedestrian who doesn't pay attention to the…’.
- English1500–presentwalker‘a pedestrian who doesn't pay attention to the road’
- Englishtodayjaywalker
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- English1500–presentwalker‘a pedestrian who doesn't pay attention to the road’
- Englishtodayjaywalker
The story
First use appears c. 1917 in Harper's Magazine. Coined in analogy to the older turn-of-the-20th-century term jay driver (‘a driver who doesn't pay attention to the road, endangering horses, carts, bicyclists, and pedestrians’). Promoted by driving enthusiasts and automotive concerns to clear the roads of obstructive pedestrians by making it illegal to walk in the middle of roads.
Every English word from English walker
Today it means
noun A person who violates pedestrian traffic regulations by crossing a street away from a designated crossing or who walks on the part of the street intended for vehicles instead of the part designated for pedestrians.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / English walker / jaywalker