‘Chiefly Philadelphia': ‘jawn' is now in the dictionary – seriously

How about this jawn?

Philly's favorite word for pretty much everything is now part of Dictionary.com's vast collections of words.

"jawn

"noun. Informal. Chiefly Philadelphia. something or someone for which the speaker does not know or does not need a specific name.

"Example: Can you hand me that jawn right there?"

That's how Dictionary.com defines Jawn, which was included on its list of fall 2023 "word drops."

"Philadelphians know that their favorite regional catchall term isn’t new—the first records of its use come from the early 2000s, when it started to be popularized in the Black community," Dictionary.com's entry said.

The origins of jawn probably dates back even further -- into the 1990s or even 1980s, according to WHYY.

"Its addition reflects an increasing awareness of the term outside the region. Its ultimate origin is uncertain, but it may be a local Philadelphia variant of joint, which is used in a similar way in the New York City metropolitan area," Dictionary.com said.

Now that's the jawn.

Other newly recognized Dictionary.com words and phrases include: algo, Big Pharma, Blursday, greenwashing, jugging and NIL. Click here to check out the full list of new fall words.

What's next for this jawn? Could it wind up as part of other recognized word collections?

Jawn had already been part of Urban Dictonary's words. But, it has yet to be recognized Merriam-Webster.

Time will tell on this jawn.

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