Jawn
Jawn is a slang term local to Philadelphia and, by extension, the Philadelphia metropolitan area. It is a placeholder word that may refer to a thing, place, person, or event, substituting for a specific word/name. Jawn is a context-dependent substitute noun; a noun that substitutes for other nouns.[1] Jawn can be singular or plural. Examples include: "These jawns are expensive!",[2] "Pass me that jawn.", "Slow it down, jawn.", "That new jawn.", "This jawn is packed."[3]
Jawn is believed to be derived from the word "joint" (as its proper pronunciation sounds more like "joiwn"). The term began in the past as joint, a place where bones meet; from this came a term to refer to a place where criminals meet; this came to any place (see Glossary of jive talk); in New York hip-hop this came to mean any thing; and in Philadelphia this was used broadly and pronounced as jawn.[4][5]
Popular culture
[edit]- In a scene in the 2015 Philadelphia-based feature film Creed, the character Bianca explains to Adonis Creed the meaning of jawn.[6]
- Skate Jawn is a skateboard magazine, founded in 2010 in Philadelphia, PA.[7] The original name of the magazine was Skate Jawn Mag Jawn.[7]
- Philadelphia-native Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson's documentary films Summer of Soul and Sly Lives! are each billed as "A Questlove Jawn."[8][9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Language in the USA: Themes for the Twenty-first Century. Cambridge University Press. 2004. ISBN 978-1-139-45133-8.
- ↑ "Philly-Original 'Jawn' Being Considered As Official Dictionary Word: Merriam-Webster". NBC Philadelphia. October 5, 2017.
- ↑ "JAWN: PHILADELPHIA'S MULTI-PURPOSE SLANG WORD, EXPLAINED". Allegiant Goods Co. September 15, 2021.
- ↑ "Some Jawn About 'Jawn'". Merriam-Webster. October 4, 2017.
- ↑ "Merriam-Webster analyzes 'jawn,' the Wawa of words". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 5, 2017.
- ↑ "The Brilliance of the Cheesesteak Scene in 'Creed'". The Ringer. February 15, 2018.
- 1 2 "Skate Jawn on zines, scenes, and DIY content | The Green Zine". March 12, 2016. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
- ↑ Palmisano, Kae Lani (October 13, 2022). "Jawn sais quoi: Exploring the nuanced meaning of 'jawn'". WHYY. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
- ↑ "Questlove on Instagram: 'It's time good people It's official! […]'". Instagram. December 11, 2024. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
External links
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