jilt
/d͡ʒɪlt/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms jilts jilting jilted
- noun A woman who readily casts aside her lover.
- verb (transitive) To cast off capriciously or unfeelingly, as a lover; to deceive in love.
- proper noun A river in Gorj, Romania.
Etymology
Contraction of jillet (“a giddy girl, a jill-flirt”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A woman who capriciously deceives her lover; a coquette; a flirt. Otway.
- verb To cast off capriciously or unfeeling, as a lover; to deceive in love. Locke.
- verb To play the jilt; to practice deception in love; to discard lovers capriciously. Congreve.
Etymology [Contr. fr. Scot. jillet a giddy girl, a jill-flirt, dim. of jill a jill.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “jilt”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details