*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of joust

From Middle English, borrowed from Old French jouster (modern French jouter), from Vulgar Latin *juxtō, *iuxtō, *iuxtāre, from Latin iūxta (“close to”). English since the early 14th century.

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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 ↗
noun

A tilting match: a mock combat between two mounted knights or men-at-arms using lances in the lists or enclosed field.

verb

To engage in mock combat on horseback, as two knights in the lists; to tilt. · To engage in verbal sparring over an important issue. (used of two people, both of whom participate more or less equally) · To touch penises while engaging in a sex act, especially oral sex.

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

From Middle English, borrowed from Old French jouster (modern French jouter), from Vulgar Latin *juxtō, *iuxtō, *iuxtāre, from Latin iūxta (“close to”). English since the early 14th century.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "3": "-"
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      "expansion": "Middle English"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
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        "2": "fro",
        "3": "jouster"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French jouster"
    },
    {
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      "args": {
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        "3": "*iuxto",
        "4": "*juxtō, *iuxtō, *iuxtāre"
      },
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    },
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    ],
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    ]
  ],
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  "descendants": [],
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A tilting match: a mock combat between two mounted knights or men-at-arms using lances in the lists or enclosed field."
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      "pos": "verb",
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        "To engage in mock combat on horseback, as two knights in the lists; to tilt.",
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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 joust →

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-am91c3Q