JAUNTY


Meaning of JAUNTY in English

I. -tē, -ti adjective

( -er/-est )

Etymology: alteration of earlier jentee, from French gentil — more at gentle

1. archaic

a. : genteel

b. : fashionable , stylish

2. : nonchalant or sprightly in manner or appearance : airy , debonair , perky

a jaunty straw hat with a garish band — A.M.Schlesinger b. 1917

a shrewdly jaunty optimist — H.E.Clurman

such writing jars with its jaunty banality — C.C.Abbott

II. ˈjȯnti, ˈjȧn- noun

( -es )

Etymology: perhaps modification of French gendarme — more at gendarme

Britain : the master-at-arms aboard a naval vessel

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.