Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Sweetheart; dear.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun See joe.
  • noun In conchology See Io, 3.
  • noun A Japanese measure of length legally established as 9.94 English feet. The cloth measure of the same name is said to be a fourth part longer.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Scot. A sweetheart; a darling.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Scotland Darling, sweetheart.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Alteration of joy.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Scots jo ("joy").

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Examples

  • In the 50's & early 60'sIfin jo daddy decided you was a dumb "f", .. then you wus.

    A Savage Attack on Scopes 2008

  • Did the monopthongization of dipthongs occur earlier or later than the loss of the proto-Germanic endings in - jo stem verbs?

    Archive 2007-12-01 Mary Kate Hurley 2007

  • Did the monopthongization of dipthongs occur earlier or later than the loss of the proto-Germanic endings in - jo stem verbs?

    A Holiday Gift for Anglo-Saxonists Everywhere Mary Kate Hurley 2007

  • I don't know why, but suddenly I was seated on the bed, with my arm round those white shoulders, while she sobbed and clung to me, calling me her "jo" - it was that funny Scotch word, which she hadn't used for years, since she had grown so grand, that made me believe her - almost.

    The Sky Writer Geoff Barbanell 2010

  • ICL ko chunana Peechha na chhodenge tera ban saka jo salil ankola ball ka magic na chala to pepsi ya phir coca-cola olympic walon ko ghalib khud hi kehe gaya hain buddhu nimboo beche limbaram aur aam khaye apana siddhu khelna ho to bus pyaare kirkit khelna ae baapu bole ...

    WN.com - Articles related to Abhinav Bindra in 'Sports Ratna' list 2010

  • Kalke jeete aajke haare firate galiyan maare maare jeete medal bech ke saare pet na bhar paayega pyaare jab khulegi neend ye geheri phoote sapnonke gubbare khud hi barbaadi na likhna haath ki rekhaon me tere khel kood se ghar hain kisika na chalna ae baapu bole ... dhoni banana, bhajji banana, banana ho to raina banana IPL agar na pahooncha to pyaare ICL ko chunana Peechha na chhodenge tera ban saka jo salil ankola ball ka magic na chala to pepsi ya phir coca-cola olympic walon ko ghalib khud hi kehe gaya hain buddhu nimboo beche limbaram aur aam khaye apana siddhu khelna ho to bus pyaare kirkit khelna ae baapu bole ...

    WN.com - Articles related to Abhinav Bindra in 'Sports Ratna' list 2010

  • "_B'jo'_!" grunted the younger man with evident lack of enthusiasm.

    The Gun-Brand 1921

  • They speak of ata and cor sva jo, meaning reproduction and from the beginning, and point toward the south; but no one has a mother.

    The People That Time Forgot Edgar Rice Burroughs 1912

  • "The cow came home unsold; and the rhyme is applied to a young woman who comes home from a fair or market without a 'jo' or sweetheart."

    The Proverbs of Scotland Alexander Hislop 1836

  • "I think we're looking at the needs of the town, rather than the downturn in the economy," said co-owner Joanne O'Connell, who contributed the "jo" in Pejamajo.

    Boston.com Top Stories 2009

Comments

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  • An informal unit of area used in Japan to measure the size of rooms in houses and apartments. One jo is the area of a traditional tatami mat, 180 x 90 centimeters or 1.62 square meters (1.94 square yards).

    November 6, 2007

  • A Scots word for sweetheart. Burns uses it John Anderson, my jo for example. Like other 2 letter words it can be very useful in Scrabble.

    February 1, 2009

  • In Japanese j�? (that's o with a macron above it) can mean prelude or overture, in connection with traditional theatrical forms.

    February 1, 2009

  • Marshallese term for muddy or goatfish. See this, courtesy of frogapplause, Wordnik's "resident" cartoonist.

    July 4, 2010

  • In Norwegian, this word means not only "yes"; it also refers to a positive response to a double-negative question.

    For example, if I were to ask you if you didn't like water, then jo would be a response to say, "Yes,I DO like water.

    Wow, translating that was hard.

    April 25, 2011