Etymograph

English

jack

Jack comes from the personal name Jack, from Middle English Jakke, from Middle Dutch Janke, a diminutive of Jan ‘John’.

  1. Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500Jan1‘John’
  2. Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500Janke1
  3. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400Jakke1
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500Jakke1
  5. English1500–presentJack1
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1591jack1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English jack
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1591, John Harington, Robert Nares: “Their horsemen are with jacks for most part clad,…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500JanWiktionary, English jack‘John’
  2. Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500JankeWiktionary, English jack
  3. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400JakkeWiktionary, English jack
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500JakkeWiktionary, English jack
  5. English1500–presentJackWiktionary, English jack
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1591jackWiktionary, English jack. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1591, John Harington, Robert Nares: “Their horsemen are with jacks for most part clad,…”

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Another origin of jack

  1. Malayalammodernചക്കcakka‘jackfruit’
  2. Portuguesec. 1500–presentjaca‘jackfruit’
  3. Englishtodayjack

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Today it means

noun A coarse medieval coat of defence, especially one made of leather.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “jack”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle Dutch Jan / jack