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jams
1[ jamz ]
Jams
2[ jamz ]
- a brand of baggy, brightly patterned, knee-length swim trunks.
Word History and Origins
Origin of jams1
Example Sentences
We also get a broad, electrifying sampling of the era’s freedom jams, be they from our shore’s turntables and radios or the African rumba scene.
“I’m still gonna go to community jams. I’m still probably gonna get down and enter a community jam and things like that.”
Videos posted online showed huge traffic jams on the main roads out of the city.
It is hard to drive or even walk through the neighbourhood because of the number of cars and motorcycles causing traffic jams.
He was the closer for the World Series-winning Washington Nationals in 2019, he pitched out of several jams that postseason, and he threw the final pitch of a Game 7 win in Houston.
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More About Jams
What does jams mean?
Jams is a very informal word for pajamas—the clothes you wear to sleep in.
The word jammies means the same thing but is more common. Terms like jammies, jams, and jam-jams are typically used by children, adults speaking to children, or people using childish words to be silly. A more common synonym for pajamas is p.j.’s, which is informal but not as informal as jammies.
You could say that whatever clothes children change into before going to bed are their jams. Traditionally, though, the word refers to clothes that were specifically made and sold for sleeping in, typically consisting of soft, loose-fitting pants or shorts and a (sometimes matching) top.
When adults use the words jams or jammies to refer to what they’re wearing, it’s usually to refer to clothes worn for sleeping, but not always. People sometimes use such terms to refer to the clothes they wear to lounge in, especially before bed, though the terms p.j.’s and pajamas are more likely to be used this way. In all cases, the word jams is used very informally.
The word jams is also the plural of the noun jam or a present-tense version of the verb jam, both of which have many meanings.
Example: OK, kids, time for bed—go brush your teeth and change into your dinosaur jams.
Where does jams come from?
The first records of the word jams in reference to pajamas come from the 1960s. It’s a shortening of the word pajamas, which has been used since the 1800s and comes from the Hindi pāyjāma, from the Persian pāy, meaning “leg,” and jāma, meaning “garment.”
Originally, the word pajamas referred to loose-fitting pants worn in parts of Asia, usually made of silk or cotton. It then came to refer to a style of women’s pants, especially ones flared at the bottom, worn as leisurewear. Eventually, the word’s association with loose-fitting clothing resulted in its use as a term for sleepwear. The word jams is almost always used to refer to sleepwear.
Did you know ... ?
How is jams used in real life?
The term jams is typically used in the context of the pajamas worn by children. The word jammies means the same thing but is more common.
@Nicoleecg cruiz and I slept from five to eight. I put his jams on fed him and he went right back to sleep. Haha
— ∂αиιєℓℓє мαяу (@daniellempak) May 23, 2012
Bathed my godson, put his diaper on, put his jams on, & now he's running buck wild. Wth. Lmao
— mary (@uhhmaryXO) September 13, 2012
It's snowing again. So Roozle chose her short sleeve summer jams for bed. Good idea.
— Casey Brown (they/them) (@lifewithThisOne) March 21, 2013
Try using jams!
Which of the following words is a synonym of jams?
A. jammies
B. jam-jams
C. p.j.’s
D. all of the above
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