jack

Etymology 1

table Inherited from Middle English jakke, from Anglo-Norman jacke, Middle French jaque, jacque, from jacques (“peasant”), from the proper name Jacques. Compare jacquerie.

noun

1. A coarse mediaeval coat of defence, especially one made of leather.
   jack of plate (armor made up of small metal plates sewn between layers of cloth, similar to a brigandine)
   jack of mail
   padded jack
   Their horsemen are with jacks for most part clad, / Their horses are both swift of course and strong, / They run on horseback with a slender gad, / And like a speare, but that it is more long. 1591, John Harington, translating Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, x. 73 (quoted in e.g. 1822, Robert Nares, A Glossary, page 186)
   threescore men in jacks or light coats of mail 1766, Walter Harris, The history and antiquities of the city of Dublin
   The aketon, gambeson, vambasium, and jack were military vestments, calculated for the defence of the body, differing little from each other, except in their names, their materials and construction were nearly the same, the authorities quoted in the notes, shew they were all composed of many folds of linen, stuffed with cotton, wool or hair, quilted, and commonly covered with leather, made of buck or doe skin. 1786, Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page 15

Etymology 2

Transferative use of the personal name Jack.

noun

1. A man.
   1. (chiefly capitalized) A name applied to a hypothetical or typical man.
      After Dinner they frisk away to some known Place of Rendezvous, where (at Night) every Jack has his Jill and every Jill has her Jack. 1723, The New-England Courant, volume 80
   2. (countable, now chiefly US) A man, a fellow; a typical man; men in general.
   3. (colloquial) A sailor.
   4. (slang) A policeman or detective; (Australia) a military policeman.
      When Wardell arrived on the scene, they were surprised to find that he was unshaven, and did not look too happy. One of them remarked: "The 'Jacks' (detectives) are after you." 1935, Bernard O'Donnell, The trials of Mr. Justice Avory, page 219
      'I'd like you to meet DCI Henry Christie,' FB was saying. The older of the two jacks reached forward and gave Henry's right paw a quick tug. 2013, Nick Oldham, Big City Jacks
   5. (now rare) A manual laborer.
   6. (Canada, US, colloquial) A lumberjack.
   7. (India, historical, slang) A sepoy.
      I hope to God his theories will not unman him in action, that he will not be musing and refining when he should be leading the Jacks […] 1855, William Delafield Arnold, Oakfield: Or, Fellowship in the East, page 280
2. A device or utensil.
   1. A device for turning a spit; a smokejack or roasting jack.
   2. Each of a series of blocks in a harpsichord or the earlier virginal, communicating the action of the key to the quill; sometime also, a hopper in a modern piano.
      Do I envy those jacks that nimble leap To kiss the tender inward of thy hand, Whilst my poor lips, which should that harvest reap, At the wood's boldness by thee blushing stand! 1609, Shakespeare, “Sonnet 128”, in Edward Bliss Reed, editor, Shakespeare's Sonnets, Yale University Press, published 1923, lines 1–14
      [W]hat the devil makes you so dull, Letitia? I thought to have found you popping about as brisk as the jacks of your harpsichord. 1780, Hannah Cowley, The Belle's Stratagem, I.4
      In the virginal, an upright piece of wood fixed to the key-lever and fitted with a quill which plucked the string as the jack rose when the key was pressed down. Here used as "key." 1923, Charles Talbut Onions, “Notes”, in Edward Bliss Reed, editor, Shakespeare's Sonnets, Yale University Press, Note 128.5
   3. (obsolete) A support for wood being sawn; a sawhorse or sawbuck.
   4. A device used to hold a boot by the heel, to assist in removing the boot.
   5. A mechanical device used to raise and (temporarily) support a heavy object, now especially to lift one side of a motor vehicle when (e.g.) changing a tyre.
      She used a jack to lift her car and changed the tire.
   6. Any of various levers for raising or lowering the sinkers which push the loops down on the needles in a knitting machine or stocking frame.
   7. (mining, now rare) A wedge for separating rocks rent by blasting.
   8. (obsolete) A grating device used to separate and guide the threads in a warping machine; a heck box.
   9. (obsolete) A machine for twisting the sliver as it leaves a carding machine, in the preparation of yarn.
   10. (electronics) A switch for a jack plug, a jackknife switch; (more generally) a socket used to connect a device to a circuit, network etc.
       telephone jack
3. A non-tool object or thing.
   1. (now historical, regional) A pitcher or other vessel for holding liquid, especially alcoholic drink; a black-jack.
      He had his tea and hot rolls in a morning, while we were battening upon our quarter-of-a-penny loaf — our crug — moistened with attenuated small beer, in wooden piggings, smacking of the pitched leathern jack it was poured from. 1820-25, Charles Lamb, in Essays of Elia (1830)
   2. (card games, originally colloquial) The lowest court card in a deck of standard playing cards, ranking between the 10 and queen, with an image of a knave or pageboy on it.
   3. (bowls) A small, typically white, ball used as the target ball in bowls; a jack-ball.
      like an uninstructed bowler, so to speak, who thinks to attain the jack, by delivering his bowl straight forward upon it 1822, Walter Scott, Peveril of the Peak
   4. (nautical) A small ship's flag used as a signal or identifying device; a small flag flown at the bow of the vessel.
   5. (UK, regional, now rare, historical) A measure of liquid corresponding to a quarter of a pint.
      To a pound of sugar put a jack of water. 1747, Hannah Glasse, The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy
   6. (obsolete, slang) A fake coin designed to look like a sovereign.
   7. (nautical, now rare, historical) A jack crosstree.
   8. (games) A small, six-pointed playing piece used in the game of jacks.
   9. (US) A torch or other light used in hunting to attract or dazzle game at night.
      a heron when seeing a deer attracted by the jack 1930, Tappan Gregory, Deer at Night in the North Woods
   10. (slang, chiefly US) Money.
       First off Regan carried fifteen grand, packed it in his clothes all the time. Real money, they tell me. Not just a top card and a bunch of hay. That's a lot of jack (or jack-shit) […]. 1939, Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, Penguin, published 2011, page 133
   11. (Canada, US) A strong alcoholic liquor, especially home-distilled or illicit.
       [A] quart of raisin jack was divided between us with the result that tha day proper (after the night before) was spent very quietly, watered and Bromo-Seltzered, with amusing anecdotes occasionally sprouting from towelled head to towelled head. 1920, Hart Crane, letter, 14 April
   12. (colloquial, euphemistic) Nothing, jack shit.
       You haven't done jack. Get up and get this room cleaned up right now!
   13. (cricket, slang) The eleventh batsman to come to the crease in an innings.
   14. (slang, Appalachians) A smooth often ovoid large gravel or small cobble in a natural water course.
4. A plant or animal.
   1. A pike, especially when young.
   2. (chiefly US) A male ass, especially when kept for breeding.
   3. Any of the marine fish in the family Carangidae.
   4. (US) A jackrabbit.
      Cottontails were taken along the creeks, under the willows. Their flesh was preferable to that of the jacks[…]" 1932, Isabel T. Kelly, “Ethnography of the Surprise Valley Paiute”, in University of California Publications in California Archaeology an Ethnography, volume 31, number 3, page 88
   5. A large California rockfish, the bocaccio, Sebastes paucispinis.
   6. Mangifera caesia, related to the mango tree.
   7. (colloquial) Plant in the genus Arisaema, also known as Jack-in-the-pulpit, and capitalized Jack.
      Usually a jack that makes male flowers has only one main leaf (right), while female plants have two. […] The specific taxonomy of Jack-in-the Pulpit, a member of the Arum Family (Araceae), is rather up in the air. Some botanists believe all jacks are just one species, Arisaema triphyllum, while others claim there are as many as three: A. triphyllum, A. atrorubens, and A. stewardsonii. 2003-05-01, “Is that “Jack” in the Pulpit”, in Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
      In fact, most male Jacks are under 14 inches tall. Most Jacks over 14 inches tend to be Jills. a. 06-05-2013, “Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and Jill”, in Eat the Weeds
   8. (colloquial) Spadix of a plant (also capitalized Jack).
      Lifting the flap at the top of the spathe reveals our slender and round-headed friend "Jack," known better to botanists as the spadix. 2003-05-01, “Is that “Jack” in the Pulpit”, in Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
      On every kid’s list of favourite plants is our quirky Jack-in-the-pulpit with its green, red or purple spadices (the Jacks) and hooded green-, red- or almost black-striped spathes (the pulpits). 24-05-2017, Stephen Westcott-Gratton, “Purple pulpits and trilliums”, in Gardenmaking
   9. (apparently does not occur standalone for the genus per se) Plant of the genus Emex, also considered synonymous to Rumex, if not then containing two species lesser jack and little jack for Emex spinosa syn. Rumex spinosus, Australian English three-corner jack and prickly jack for Emex australis syn. Rumex hypogaeus.

verb

1. (transitive) To physically raise using a jack.
   He jacked the car so that he could replace the brake pads.
   Large cranes were virtually non-existent in the areas I worked with this truck, so we jacked everything on and off[.] 2000, Bob Foster, Birdum or Bust!, Henley Beach, SA: Seaview Press, page 111
2. (transitive) To raise or increase.
   If you want to jack your stats you just write off failures as invalid results.
3. To increase the potency of an alcoholic beverage similarly to distillation by chilling it to below the freezing point of water, removing the water ice crystals that form, and leaving the still-liquid alcoholic portion.
   Fruit of the orchard has been "jacked" these many generations, with Plymouth Rockers putting the hard cider barrel down into the ground to freeze, and […] 1941, Esquire, volume 15, numbers 1-3, page 176
   The potency of a jacked beverage depends on the temperature applied to the original beverage; the colder the liquor, the more water can be frozen out […]. In New England, where this technique was historically used, people could get applejack to around 30 percent alcohol […]. 2010, Scott Mansfield, Strong Waters: A Simple Guide to Making Beer, Wine, Cider ...
4. (transitive, colloquial) To steal (something), typically an automobile; to rob (someone).
   Someone jacked my car last night!
   Now I'm in a new whip counting the big stack / Yellow-gold chain and the diamonds are black / Jack me? Nah, you don't wanna do that 2014, Skepta, Jme (lyrics and music), “That's Not Me” (track 10), in Konnichiwa, performed by Skepta featuring Jme
5. (intransitive) To dance by moving the torso forward and backward in a rippling motion.
6. (colloquial, vulgar) To jack off, to masturbate.
   I don't even care about mine, I can get my shit off while jacking in the shower. 2017, Diamond Johnson, Finding My Way Back to Love 2, Sullivan Group Publishing

adj

1. (Australia) Tired, disillusioned; fed up (with).
   In the end, black and white were both crawling on the ground in reconciliation. Both saying that they were plain jack of each other. 2006, Alexis Wright, Carpentaria, Giramondo, published 2012, page 78

Etymology 3

From Portuguese jaca (“jackfruit”), from Malayalam ചക്ക (cakka).

noun

1. The edible fruit of the Asian tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus); also the tree itself.
   A mock living burial of the principal performer, who is placed in a pit, which is covered with planks, on the top of which a sacrifice is performed, with a fire kindled with jack wood (Artocarpus integrifolia) and a plant called erinna. 1909, Edgur Thurston, Castes and Tribes of Southern India, page 437
2. The related tree Mangifera caesia.

Etymology 4

noun

1. (slang, baseball) A home run.
   The year before ('76) Kingman had 37 jacks with only 502 PAs. Is that the limit? 2001-10-08, Ray Dames, “Re: McGwire's Year”, in rec.sport.baseball (Usenet)
   Me three. I never have quite understood all the "three true outcomes" fetish around here. I mean, I know that building an offense around walks and 3-run jacks embodies the Sabermetric Virtues, and especially in today's conditions that's the way to win, but man, it sure leads to some slow, boring games. 2002-04-18, Perry, “Re: To all you Oakland A's fans...”, in rec.sport.baseball (Usenet)
   3-run jacks are just another tool in a team's chest. The goal is to make the playoffs, then win at least one more game than your opponent each round. And repeat next year, and the year after that, and... 2004-01-18, Terrell Miller, “Re: Does playing for the 3-run home run really help you win championships?”, in rec.sport.baseball (Usenet)

verb

1. (transitive, slang, baseball) To hit (the ball) hard; especially, to hit (the ball) out of the field, producing a home run.
   An excellent piece of work, Wayne thought, so good in fact, he wasn’t surprised when Bailey walked to the plate and on the first pitch jacked the ball far into the parking lot outside the left-field fence for a tournament winning homerun. 1986, Arete: The Journal of Sport Literature, volume 4, Sport Literature Association
   Therefore, even though Vizquel is certainly not a power hitter, at times he will try to jack the ball, perhaps pulling it with just enough oomph to carry down the line for a homer. 2004, Wayne Stewart, Hitting Secrets of the Pros: Big League Sluggers Reveal the Tricks of Their Trade, McGraw-Hill Professional, page 90
   Maybe he hung a curve ball to somebody and they jacked it out of the park on him and he wasn’t upset about it. a. 2009, Jim McManus, quoted in T.J. Lewis, A View from the Mound: My Father’s Life in Baseball, Lulu.com (publisher, 2008), page 107