Etymograph

English

jet

Jet comes from French jet ‘spurt’, from Latin iactus ‘a throwing, a throw’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(H)yeh₁-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(H)yeh₁-‘to throw’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*(H)yéh₁kt ~ *(H)ih₁kéntreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiaciō‘to throw, hurl, cast, fling’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEiactus‘a throwing, a throw’
  5. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*iectusreconstructed
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400get
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentjet‘spurt’literally ‘a throw’
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1588–1593same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(H)yeh₁-‘to throw’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*(H)yéh₁kt ~ *(H)ih₁kéntreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiaciō‘to throw, hurl, cast, fling’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEiactus‘a throwing, a throw’
  5. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*iectusreconstructed
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400get
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentjet‘spurt’literally ‘a throw’
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1588–1593same form

Earliest quotation: c. 1588–1593, William Shakespeare, The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus: “Why, lords, and think you not how dangerous It…”

The story

Borrowed from French jet (“spurt”, literally “a throw”), from Old French get, giet, from Vulgar Latin *iectus, *jectus, from Latin iactus (‘a throwing, a throw’), from iacere (‘to throw’).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(H)yeh₁- ‘to throw’

year, hour, trajectory, catheter, enema, abject, jut, iambic, jetsam, 37 more

through Proto-Indo-European *(H)yéh₁kt ~ *(H)ih₁ként

objective, projection, objection, projectile, objector, dejection, 23 more

through Latin iaciō ‘to throw, hurl, cast, fling’

project, disease, ease, object, adjacent, injection, gist, conjecture, adjective, inject, ejaculation, ejection, eject, ejaculate, subjection, joist, jetty, interject, jettison, 31 more

through Vulgar Latin *iectus

jess, 2 more

Another origin of jet

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEΓάγαιGágasas Γάγας‘a town and river in Lycia’
  2. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEΓαγάτηςGagátēs
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEgagātēs
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400jayet
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500get‘jet, hardened coal’
  6. Englishtodayjet

Another origin of jet

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(H)yeh₁-‘to throw’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*(H)yéh₁kt ~ *(H)ih₁kéntreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiaciō‘to throw, hurl, cast, fling’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEiactus
  5. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*iectusreconstructed
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400get
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentjet‘throw’
  8. Englishtodaysame form

Today it means

noun A collimated stream, spurt or flow of liquid or gas from a pressurized container, an engine, etc.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(H)yeh₁- / jet

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