Jill

See also: jill

English

Etymology

A variant of Gill, diminutive of Gillian, a medieval form of Juliana, ultimately from Latin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʒɪl/
• Rhymes: -ɪl
• Homophones: jill, gill

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Proper noun

Jill

1. A female given name from Latin.
   • 1994, Floyd Skloot, Summer Blue, Story Line Press,, →ISBN, page 98:

     "Just Jill, I'm afraid." "Would you prefer if it was Gillian?" "Oh, I think so. Gillian sounds so much fancier." "Fancy?" Terrence said. He smiled at her. "Or perhaps it sounds flashy?" "Royal," Richard said. "Flowery," Terrence added. "You could say Gillian was more flowery. That would fit. What about you, Corrie, what does it sound like to you?" "Rich," Corrie glanced at Jill. "Gillian sounds richer than Jill."

   1. Clipping of Jillian.
2. A generic use for any female (as Sheila in Australian English), especially paired (since the 15th c., compare Ienken and Iulyan) with the male Jack.
   • c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:

     Our wooing doth not end like an old play;
     Jack hath not Jill; these ladies' courtesy
     Might well have made our sport a comedy.

Derived terms

• jillstrap

Noun

Jill (plural Jills)

1. A young woman; a sweetheart; like the variant spelling Gill it was also associated with various assertive uses of the term flirt, as in flirtgigg (used by William Shakespeare for a 'woman of light or loose behavior').
2. A jillstrap: the female counterpart to a jockstrap.

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “Jill”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• J. van der Schaar, “Woordenboek van voornamen”, 11. druk, Utrecht, Antwerpen 1979, Aula-boeken 176, Uitgeverij Het Spectrum, →ISBN