Meaning of Jess | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A short strap fastened around the leg of a bird used in falconry, to which a leash may be fastened.
2. A diminutive of the male given name Jesse.
3. A diminutive of the female given names Jessica or Jessamy.

Equivalents

Examples

“‘Now then Kit,’ said Mr Parkinson, ‘look sharp! Help Jess up. Where has she got to?’ ‘Here I am!’ said Jessamy breathlessly as “helped” rather to vigorously from behind by Kit, she arrived on her knees on the floor of the dog cart.”

“‘It’s almost as if we’ve gone silly with happiness,’ said Marcus two days later. ‘Everyone in the house going round grinning like a lot of Cheshire Cats! The family I mean.’ ‘And Jess,’ said Kitto quickly. ‘Oh well, Jess is as good as family,’ said Fanny comfortably. Jessamy said nothing, but she looked up quickly and her smile would have rivalled any Cheshire Cat.”

“That's because officials say government systems can't currently incorporate the diacritic marks — the accents and symbols used to change the meaning and pronunciation of words — that Jess H̓áust̓i considers an essential part of her Indigenous surname.”

“Haukes haue about theyr legges gesses made of lether moste comonly, some of silke which should no lenger but that the knottes of them should appere in ye myddes of the left hande betwene the longe fynger and the leche fynger bicause the lewnes should be fastened to them with a payre of tyrettes, whiche tyrettes should rest vpon the lewnes and not vpon gesses, for hangyng and fastyng vpon trees when she fleyth […]”

“I am that cedar; shake me not too much; And you the eagles; soar ye ne’er so high, I have the jesses that will pull you down;”

“[…] If I do prove her haggard, Though that her jesses were my dear heartstrings, I’ld whistle her off and let her down the wind, To pray at fortune.”

“1686, Richard Blome, The Gentlemans Recreation, Part 2, Chapter 24 “Certain Terms of Art used in Falconry, with an Explanation thereof, Alphabetically set down,” p. 62, Jesses are the short straps of Leather that are fastned to her Legs, and so to the Lease by the Varvils.”

“If your hawk is bad-weathered, that is, will not fit on your fist when the wind blows, but hales, and beats, and hangs by the jeſſes, ſhe has an ill habit of the worſt kind.”

CEFR level