First Known Use: 15th century
Dictionary
1jettison
noun jet·ti·son \ˈje-tə-sən, -zən\
Definition of JETTISON
: a voluntary sacrifice of cargo to lighten a ship's load in time of distress
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Origin of JETTISON
Middle English jetteson, from Anglo-French geteson, literally, action of throwing, from Latin jactation-, jactatio, from jactare — more at jet
Related to JETTISON
- Synonyms
- discarding, disposition, dumping, disposal, junking, removal, riddance, scrapping, throwing away
2jettison
verb
: to drop (something) from a moving ship, airplane, etc.
: to get rid of (something) : to reject (something, such as a plan or idea)
Full Definition of JETTISON
transitive verb
1
: to make jettison of
2
: to get rid of as superfluous or encumbering : omit or forgo as part of a plan or as the result of some other decision <must be prepared to jettison many romantic notions — Christopher Catling>
3
: to drop from an aircraft or spacecraft in flight
— jet·ti·son·able \-sə-nə-bəl, -zə-\ adjective
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First Known Use of JETTISON
1848
Related to JETTISON
- Synonyms
- cashier, cast (off), chuck, deep-six, ditch, dump, eighty-six (or 86), exorcise (also exorcize), fling (off or away), discard, junk, lay by, lose, pitch, reject, scrap, shed, shuck (off), slough (off) also sluff (off), throw away, throw out, toss, unload
JETTISON Defined for Kids
jettison
verb jet·ti·son \ˈje-tə-sən\
jet·ti·sonedjet·ti·son·ing
Definition of JETTISON for Kids
: to throw out especially from a ship or an airplane <Cargo was jettisoned.>
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