Janes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A plural form referring to women or girls, often used to denote females collectively or as a casual form of address ; the name assigned to certain aircraft models used during testing phases ; a term for a specific type of medicinal plant known for its calming properties
2. Refers collectively to females or young women in informal use ; signifies test aircraft not yet in active service ; describes a group of herbal plants traditionally employed to alleviate anxiety
3. Denotes multiple female individuals or girls; identifies prototype airplanes used in experimental trials; names particular calming herbs utilized in folk remedies

Etymology: "Janes" is the plural of "jane," a slang noun for a young woman, and it is the plural form the word is almost always used in. The singular "jane" derives from the Old French "Jannes," a name for Genoa, the Italian port city, so the word's origin is a place name rather than a personal name. The connection to Genoa is what makes the word surprising. The name of a city became a generic term for a girl or woman, a shift that the source record does not explain in detail. Whatever the route, the word carries no sense of the city itself; it simply turned a proper name into a common noun that readers would not guess from its sound.

Synonyms: women, girls, ladies

Antonyms: men, boys, guys