Etymograph

English

jounce

Jounce comes from Middle English *jouncen ‘to jolt violently’.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*jouncen‘to jolt violently’reconstructed
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1581jounce

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*jouncen‘to jolt violently’reconstructed
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1581jounce

Earliest quotation: 1581, Richard Mulcaster, Of Riding: “If any vvillbe ſo vvilfull as to denie Riding…”

The story

The verb is derived from Late Middle English *jouncen (‘to jolt violently’) (evidenced by jouncinge (‘violent jolting movement’)); further etymology unknown, possibly imitative.uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain.

Every English word from Middle English *jouncen

Today it means

verb To shake (someone or something) up and down, for example, by driving a vehicle over obstructions or riding a horse roughly; to jolt.

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

Etymograph / Middle English *jouncen / jounce

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