English word origin

Etymology of /j

From / + abbreviation of joke or joking, using the tone indicator format of slash-prefixing set by the earlier /s (“sarcasm”).

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

adj

Joking.

noun

A joke.

particle

Denotes that the preceding statement is said in a joking manner.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From / + abbreviation of joke or joking, using the tone indicator format of slash-prefixing set by the earlier /s (“sarcasm”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "abbrev",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "joke",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "abbreviation of joke"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "/",
      "/#Translingual:_tone_indicator"
    ],
    [
      "joke",
      "joke#English"
    ],
    [
      "joking",
      "joking#English"
    ],
    [
      "tone indicator",
      "tone indicator"
    ],
    [
      "/s",
      "/s#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Joking."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Internet",
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "0d84477b2dc3441e339b5d37f371231328ad0a0556d1d7410d8a1d2fed3b2d98",
      "rawRecordSha256": "8b5e1c37b44f2223a445ce4e21e0e491f02d504727ca1aa08d672ce7486ac731",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 8410301
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A joke."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Internet"
      ],
      "recordId": "6cc93b16f001ae5df55f7a66b8b824fd2233ffc700a8d54fa9b8a203ba30b2f8",
      "rawRecordSha256": "3ca8ae8ced8b5ae6110ef68e7f3088ba66d852786c4fa0065742ec7b268dcd9a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 8410302
    },
    {
      "pos": "particle",
      "glosses": [
        "Denotes that the preceding statement is said in a joking manner."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Internet"
      ],
      "recordId": "f679f9d48590e63255f5a2537601d94505551ea4a781497ea90cff5d97e99de2",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d8313194b07ccbfc87806965d72f0e873e43af22d22999c2cd762502f9ec341b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 8410300
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for /j →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-L2o