jaunty

See also: Jaunty

English

Etymology

Formerly spelt janty, from French gentil. See gentle, and compare genty. Doublet of genteel, gentile, and gentle.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒɔːn.ti/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (some accents) IPA^(key): /ˈdʒɑːn.ti/

Adjective

jaunty (comparative jauntier, superlative jauntiest)

1. Airy; showy; finical.
2. (by extension) Characterized by an affected or fantastical manner.
3. Dapper or stylish.

   He wore a jaunty outfit that was all the rage.

   • 1841 February–November, Charles Dickens, “Barnaby Rudge. Chapter 58.”, in Master Humphrey’s Clock, volume III, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 274:

     It was probably this circumstance which gave him an interest beyond any that his companion could boast of, and attracted Barnaby’s attention. There was something soldierly in his bearing, and he wore a jaunty cap and jacket.

4. Ostentatiously self-confident.

   He walked down the street with a jaunty swaggering step, as if daring others less perfectly satisfied to intrude upon his good mood.

   • 1897, Banjo Paterson, Saltbush Bill's Second Fight:

     When he started at sight of a clean-shaved tramp, who walked with a jaunty swing

Derived terms

• jauntily
• jauntiness
• jaunty car
• unjaunty

Translations

airy, showy, or affected

• Bulgarian: наперен (bg) (naperen)
• Catalan: afectat (ca) m, pretenciós m, arrogant (ca) m or f
• Czech: živý (cs), bujarý
• Dutch: luchtig (nl)
• Finnish: leuhka (fi), kopea (fi)
• Georgian: მხიარული (mxiaruli), მოჩვენებითი (močvenebiti)
• German: affektiert (de), prätentiös (de), übermütig (de), fröhlich (de), keck (de), munter (de)
• Russian: показно́й (ru) (pokaznój), манерный (ru) m (manernyj), вычурный (ru) m (vyčurnyj)
• Spanish: alegre (es), animado (es), jacarandoso

dapper or stylish

• Bulgarian: изискан (bg) (iziskan), изящен (bg) (izjašten)
• Czech: elegantní
• Esperanto: fajna, pimpa
• Finnish: tyylikäs (fi), leuhka (fi)
• Georgian: ელეგანტური (eleganṭuri), დახვეწილი (daxvec̣ili)
• German: schick (de), kess (de), fesch (de), flott (de)
• Portuguese: janota (pt)
• Russian: изы́сканный (ru) m (izýskannyj), сти́льный (ru) m (stílʹnyj), изя́щный (ru) m (izjáščnyj)

ostentatiously self-confident

• Bulgarian: самоуверен (bg) (samouveren), надут (bg) (nadut)
• Czech: lehkovážný
• Finnish: itsevarma (fi), leuhka (fi)
• Georgian: უდარდელი (udardeli), უზრუნველი (uzrunveli), თვითკმაყოფილი (tvitḳmaq̇opili)
• German: selbstzufrieden, selbstgerecht (de), übermütig (de), schwungvoll (de)
• Russian: развя́зный (ru) (razvjáznyj), беспе́чный (ru) (bespéčnyj), небре́жный (ru) (nebréžnyj), самоуверенный (ru) m (samouverennyj)
• Spanish: desenvuelto (es), jacarandoso

Noun

jaunty (plural jaunties)

1. (nautical) A master-at-arms onboard a Royal Navy ship.

References

• Jaunting-Car in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)