Jackeen

Look up jackeen in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Jackeen is a mildly pejorative term for someone from Dublin, Ireland. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "A contemptuous designation for a self-assertive worthless fellow," citing the earliest documented use from the year 1840.[1]

Derivation and meaning

The term is derived from a nickname for John (i.e. Jack) from the Union Jack (As Dubliners were considered the most English of all the Irish) combined with the Irish diminutive suffix "-een" (meaning little) [1] (-ín in Irish) found in many Irish female names such as Roisín ("little Rose") and Maureen (Mairín, "little Mary"). Today, Jackeen is often used to describe Dublin GAA players and supporters.[2][3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Simpson, John; Weiner, Edmund (1989). "Oxford English Dictionary, second edition". Oxford: Clarendon Press. Irish dim. of JACK n.: A contemptuous designation for a self-assertive worthless fellow.
  2. "The Jacks are back". Retrieved 2007-01-25.
  3. "Reeling in the years". Retrieved 2007-01-25.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, August 18, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.