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