n. & v.
n. 1 a stream of water, steam, gas, flame, etc. shot out esp. from a small opening. 2 a spout or nozzle for emitting water etc. in this way. 3 a a jet engine. b an aircraft powered by one or more jet engines.
v. (jetted, jetting) 1 intr. spurt out in jets. 2 tr. & intr. colloq. send or travel by jet plane. jet engine an engine using jet propulsion for forward thrust, esp. of an aircraft. jet lag extreme tiredness and other bodily effects felt after a long flight involving marked differences of local time. jet-propelled 1 having jet propulsion. 2 (of a person etc.) very fast. jet propulsion propulsion by the backward ejection of a high-speed jet of gas etc. jet set colloq. wealthy people frequently travelling by air, esp. for pleasure. jet-setter colloq. a member of the jet set. jet stream 1 a narrow current of very strong winds encircling the globe several miles above the earth. 2 the stream from a jet engine.
[ earlier as verb (in sense 1): F jeter throw ult. f. L jactare frequent. of jacere jact- throw ]