Word of the Day

: September 16, 2010

jejune

adjective jih-JOON

What It Means

1 : lacking nutritive value

2 : devoid of significance or interest : dull

3 : juvenile, puerile

jejune in Context

She made jejune remarks about life and art.

"If familiar figures like Kermit the Frog and SpongeBob SquarePants are simply too jejune for you, the organizers of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade have added two new entrants to their 2010 lineup." -- From The New York Times, September 3, 2010

Did You Know?

Starved for excitement? You won't get it from something jejune. That term derives from the Latin "jejunus," which means "empty of food," "meager," or "hungry." Back in the 1600s, English speakers used "jejune" in senses very similar to those of its Latin parent, lamenting "jejune appetites" and "jejune morsels." Something that is meager rarely satisfies, and before long "jejune" was being used not only for meager meals or hunger, but for things wanting in intellectual or emotional substance. The word most likely gained its "childish" sense when people confused it with the look-alike French word "jeune," which means "young."