I. ˈjōnə noun
( -s )
Usage: usually capitalized J
Etymology: after Jonah, Old Testament prophet who by disobeying God's command caused a storm to endanger the ship he was traveling in (Jon 1:4 ff), from Hebrew Yōnāh
: one believed to bring bad luck or misfortune
perhaps I was the Jonah — at least I was the thirteenth man — Arthur Langford
her left foot was her Jonah; nothing had ever happened to her right foot — John Hersey
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Usage: often capitalized J
: to bring bad luck to : jinx
ordered the boy on shore again, accusing him of wanting to jonah the whole trip — Youth's Companion