James

[ jeymz ]

noun

1. Also called James the Great. one of the 12 apostles of Jesus, the son of Zebedee and brother of the apostle John.
2. a person identified in the Christian scriptures as a brother of Jesus.
3. Also called James the Less. James the son of Alphaeus, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus.
4. Alice, 1848–92, U.S. diarist, sister of Henry and William James.
5. C(yril) L(ionel) R(obert), 1901–89, Trinidadian author, historian, and political activist.
6. Daniel, Jr. Chappie, 1920–78, U.S. Air Force officer: first Black general.
7. Henry, 1811–82, U.S. philosopher and author (father of Henry and William James).
8. Henry, 1843–1916, U.S. novelist and critic in England (brother of William James).
9. Jes·se (Wood·son) [jes, -ee , wood, -s, uh, n], 1847–82, U.S. outlaw and legendary figure.
10. Will, 1892–1942, U.S. author and illustrator.
11. William, 1842–1910, U.S. psychologist and pragmatist philosopher (brother of Henry James).
12. a river flowing east from the western part of Virginia to Chesapeake Bay. 340 miles (547 km) long.
13. a river flowing south from central North Dakota through South Dakota to the Missouri River. 710 miles (1,143 km) long.
14. one of the books of the New Testament. : Jas.
15. a male given name.

James

/ dʒeɪmz /

noun

1. JamesClive1939MAustralianWRITING: journalistFILMS AND TV: broadcaster Clive. born 1939, Australian journalist, critic and broadcaster. His books include the memoirs Unreliable Memoirs (1980) and North Face of Soho (2006) and the novel Brilliant Creatures (1983)
2. JamesHenry18431916MBritishUSWRITING: novelistWRITING: short-story writerWRITING: critic Henry 1843–1916, British novelist, short-story writer, and critic, born in the US Among his novels are Washington Square (1880), The Portrait of a Lady (1881), The Bostonians (1886), The Wings of the Dove (1902), The Ambassadors (1903), and The Golden Bowl (1904)
3. JamesJesse (Woodson)18471882MUSCRIME AND POLICING: outlaw Jesse ( Woodson ). 1847–82, US outlaw
4. JamesP(hyllis) D(orothy), Baroness James of Holland Park1920FBritishWRITING: novelist P ( hyllis ) D ( orothy ), Baroness James of Holland Park. born 1920, British detective novelist. Her books include Death of an Expert Witness (1977), Original Sin (1994), and Death in Holy Orders (2001)
5. JamesWilliam18421910MUSPHILOSOPHY: philosopherSCIENCE: psychologist William , brother of Henry James. 1842–1910, US philosopher and psychologist, whose theory of pragmatism is expounded in Essays in Radical Empiricism (1912). His other works include The Will to Believe (1897), The Principles of Psychology (1890), and The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902)
6. New Testament
   1. James, James the GreatMJewishRELIGION: apostleRELIGION: saint known as James the Great. one of the twelve apostles, a son of Zebedee and brother to John the apostle (Matthew 4:21). Feast day: July 25 or April 30
   2. James, James the LessMJewishRELIGION: apostleRELIGION: saint known as James the Less. one of the twelve apostles, son of Alphaeus (Matthew 10:3). Feast day: May 3 or Oct 9
   3. James, James the brother of the LordMJewishRELIGION: martyrRELIGION: saint known as James the brother of the Lord. a brother or close relative of Jesus (Mark 6:3; Galatians 1:19). Feast day: Oct 23
   4. the book ascribed to his authorship (in full The Epistle of James )

Word History and Origins

Origin of James¹

Middle English Jame(s), from Old French, from unattested Vulgar Latin Jacomus, for unattested Jacobus, alteration of Late Latin Jacōbus Jacob; compare Spanish Jaime, Italian Giacomo

Example Sentences

James, the overall leading vote-getter, and Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant will serve as captains.

From Washington Post

Because of this staggering, the Lakers are able to minimize the number of minutes they play with both James and Davis off the floor.

From FiveThirtyEight

The NBA will name the full rosters Tuesday, with James and Durant participating in a draft to select their rosters.

From Washington Post

NBPA President Chris Paul, who is longtime friends with James, has reportedly been a leading voice in the all-star plans.

From Washington Post

She went on to say she was “minding my own business” when James and Chris Carlos shouted at each other, leading to a second exchange between James and Juliana Carlos.

From Washington Post

But yes, I pictured a James Bond-type just sauntering over to her.

From The Daily Beast

True, this may not be what James Madison had in mind when he was writing the Bill of Rights.

From The Daily Beast

Granted, James is in an office in the Pentagon, and not on the front lines.

From The Daily Beast

A sad-faced orange Star of David flashed across the iPhone screen as we swiped left on “James” (not his real name).

From The Daily Beast

This leads him to some James Frey-style mythmaking of his own.

From The Daily Beast

James I. sent forth his famous "Counterblast" and in the strongest manner condemned its use.

From Project Gutenberg

James Pulteney, a wealthy English baron, died; whose income was $250,000 per annum.

From Project Gutenberg

But Mr. Thompson (afterwards Sir James), the beau, was in the chair, and thought there had been talking enough.

From Project Gutenberg

James Otis recovered from a temporary fit of insanity only to grow strangely suspicious of Samuel Adams.

From Project Gutenberg

There, too, was James Duane, with never so great need of his "surveying eye" to enable him to size up the situation.

From Project Gutenberg