I. ˈjəst, ˈjüst
archaic variant of joust
II. ˈjəst adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French juste, from Latin justus, from jus right, law; akin to Sanskrit yos welfare
Date: 14th century
1.
a. : having a basis in or conforming to fact or reason : reasonable
a just but not a generous decision
b. archaic : faithful to an original
c. : conforming to a standard of correctness : proper
just proportions
2.
a.
(1) : acting or being in conformity with what is morally upright or good : righteous
a just war
(2) : being what is merited : deserved
a just punishment
b. : legally correct : lawful
just title to an estate
Synonyms: see fair , upright
• just·ly adverb
• just·ness ˈjəs(t)-nəs noun
III. ˈjəst, ˈjist, ˈjest also without t adverb
Date: 15th century
1.
a. : exactly , precisely
just right
b. : very recently
the bell just rang
2.
a. : by a very small margin : barely
just too late
b. : immediately , directly
just west of here
3.
a. : only , simply
just last year
just be yourself
b. : quite , very
just wonderful
4. : perhaps , possibly
it just might work
•
- just about