Word of the Day

: February 4, 2022

jettison

verb JET-uh-sun

What It Means

Jettison means, literally, "to throw (something) overboard to lighten a ship or aircraft in distress"; figuratively, it means "to get rid of (something)."

// The coach was jettisoned after the team failed to make the playoffs for the third straight year.

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jettison in Context

"… [U.S. President Joseph Biden] and his aides continued to work with key members of Congress on what could stay in the bill and what could be jettisoned…." — Bill Powell, Newsweek, 12 Nov. 2021

Did You Know?

Jettison comes from Anglo-French geteson, which means literally "action of throwing" and is related to the Latin verb jactare, meaning "to throw." The noun jettison refers to a voluntary sacrifice of cargo to lighten a ship's load in time of distress, and it is the source of the word jetsam (the name for goods "jettisoned"); the word is often paired with flotsam ("floating wreckage"). These days you don't have to be on a sinking ship to "jettison" something: the verb also means simply "to get rid of."