Etymology

ju-ber-ju

Today it means: Used to refer to a pirate ship or something on which a sailor might climb onto (e.g. the jib boom or raffee); to describe a wild, exhilarating ride or pushing a ship to its absolute limit under full sail. Full definition →

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The story

From 19th-century folk songs and sea ballads like "The Bigler" and "The Dogger Bank"; possibly an alteration of the word jubilee; some folklorists suggest its coinage may be related to minstrel songs or the juba dance or is otherwise meaningless and coined for its rhythmic pronunciation.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.