Etymology

jab

J8A1B3

Today it means: A quick stab or blow; a poking or thrusting motion. Full definition →

English job ← Middle English jobben
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The story

  1. Middle English · inherited fromjobben
  2. English · derived fromjob“peck, poke, thrust”
  3. English todayjab

Originally a Scottish (unclear if Scots or Scottish English) form of English job (“peck, poke, thrust”), from Middle English jobben.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.