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jess

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A short strap fastened around the leg of a hawk or other bird used in falconry, to which a leash may be fastened.
  • transitive verb To put jesses or a jess on (a hawk, for example).

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To secure with jesses; place the jesses on.
  • noun A short strap, usually of leather, sometimes of silk or other material, fastened about the leg of a hawk used in falconry, and continually worn.
  • noun A ribbon that hangs down from a garland or crown in falconry.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A short strap of leather or silk secured round the leg of a hawk, to which the leash or line, wrapped round the falconer's hand, was attached when used. See Illust. of falcon.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A compact coal-like, velvet-black mineral, with a polish making it fit for use in jewelry.
  • noun A very dark, velvety black shade.
  • noun falconry A short strap fastened around the leg of a bird used in falconry, to which a leash may be fastened.
  • verb falconry To fasten a strap around the leg of a hawk.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English ges, from Old French, pl. of jet, something thrown, from Vulgar Latin *iectus, alteration of Latin iactus, past participle of iacere, to throw; see yē- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English, from Middle French jaiet, from Latin gagates 'throw', from Gagas (a town and river in Asia Minor).

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English ges, from Middle French gies, from the plural of jet ("throw"), from jeter ("to throw"), itself from Latin iactare.

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Examples

Comments

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  • brtom commented on the word jess

    Wrist through the braided jess of her sunshade.

    Joyce, Ulysses, 3

    December 30, 2006

  • delcj commented on the word jess

    a thin strap, traditionally made from leather, used to tether a hawk or falcon

    August 21, 2007