English word origin

Etymology of jeer

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

verb

To utter sarcastic or mocking comments; to speak with mockery or derision; to use taunting language. · To mock; treat with mockery; to taunt.

noun

A mocking remark or reflection.

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

From earlier gyr, probably from Dutch gieren (“to roar with laughter, laugh loudly”) (related to German gieren (“to gape, snap”)); or from Dutch gekscheren (“to jeer”, literally “to shear the fool”), from gek (“a fool”) (see geck) + scheren (“to shear”) (see shear (verb)). The OED states no verifiable connection to English cheer.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Borrowed-form mentiongierennl · to roar with laughter, laugh loudly
Cognate mentiongierende · to gape, snap
Borrowed-form mentiongekscherennl · to jeer

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nl",
        "3": "gieren",
        "t": "to roar with laughter, laugh loudly"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch gieren (“to roar with laughter, laugh loudly”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "gieren",
        "t": "to gape, snap"
      },
      "expansion": "German gieren (“to gape, snap”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nl",
        "3": "gekscheren",
        "t": "to jeer",
        "lit": "to shear the fool"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch gekscheren (“to jeer”, literally “to shear the fool”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cheer"
      },
      "expansion": "English cheer"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "gyr",
      "gyr#English"
    ],
    [
      "gieren",
      "gieren#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "gieren",
      "gieren#German"
    ],
    [
      "gekscheren",
      "gekscheren#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "gek",
      "gek#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "geck",
      "geck#English"
    ],
    [
      "scheren",
      "scheren#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "shear",
      "shear#English"
    ],
    [
      "cheer",
      "cheer#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To utter sarcastic or mocking comments; to speak with mockery or derision; to use taunting language.",
        "To mock; treat with mockery; to taunt."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "archaic",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "18897978d1930a6a2ec8a39324dc383bba68e47ee15882faf2ef36c95bec6e93",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9584407accb9ac596ebef0279668b05086266e3e128374301916e050f8cf774c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 36303
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A mocking remark or reflection."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "8cf832c21ee30e72c713e3e041c4061b99cf8a822938af8a9032cc4c73074a56",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9ee30eadb1ea2dbf37d93709164726efedc62929e58dd86f681fe7385d4ec4d9",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 36302
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A gear; a tackle. · An assemblage or combination of tackles, for hoisting or lowering the yards of a ship.

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

Compare gear.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "gear",
      "gear#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A gear; a tackle.",
        "An assemblage or combination of tackles, for hoisting or lowering the yards of a ship."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "in-plural"
      ],
      "recordId": "c8ddacdf8c9a2fc15eff8919b81ae54b4be1bd55cdfd4b324c39125879bfd6d7",
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    "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 jeer →

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-amVlcg