a. Forms: α. 7 jentee, juntee, shauntee, 7–8 jante(e, jauntee, 8 jantée, 8–9 janté. β. (7 ganty), 7–9 janty, 8 jantie, 8– jaunty. [First found in 17th c., in forms jantee (in 8 also jantée, janté) and janty, anglicized phonetic representations of F. gentil, noble, gentle, genteel; at first app. with final stress, but soon treated like an Eng. adj. in -y, and with the F. a lengthened as in chant, aunt, haunt. Cf. GENTEE, GENTY.]
† 1. Of persons, their manners, etc.: Well-bred; gentlemanly; genteel. Obs.
α. 1674. J. Wright, Mock Thyestes, 109. ’Twould be most redicule, and he That does it, not at all jentee.
1675. Crowne, Country Wit, I. i. 11. See how finely bred he is, how juntee and complaisant.
a. 1676. Dk. Newcastle, Humorous Lovers, 20. He is very jantee indeed, and of a humour now in fashion.
1713. Mrs. Centlivre, Wonder, II. i. Now, in my mind, I take snuff with a very jantee air.
a. 1750. T. Gordon, Another Cordial (1751), II. 138. They look upon a Jantee air and Mien to be excellent Virtues.
1752. Fielding, Amelia, V. vii. Mrs. Ellison … said, so Captain, my jantee [mod. ed. jaunty] serjeant was very early here.
β. 1663. Killigrew, Parson’s Wedd., I. iii. ’Tis true, ’tis a good ganty way of begging.
1667. Dryden, Maiden Queen, V. i. Save you Monsieur Florimel. Faith, methinks you are a very janty fellow.
1709. Mrs. Manley, Secret Mem., 229. [She] had something jantie in her Mein and Conversation.
1712. Steele, Spect., No. 503, ¶ 2. Whether it is reasonable that … such a Creature as this shall come from a janty Part of the Town, and give herself such violent Airs.
c. 1830. Mrs. Sherwood, in Houlston Tracts, III. No. 81. 3. She had … what my mother called a very jaunty genteel air.
† b. Of things: Elegant, stylish, ‘smart.’ ? Obs.
α. 1678. Shadwell, Timon, Epil. This Jantee slightness to the French we owe.
1687. Settle, Refl. Dryden, 10. A Discourse so jauntee that ’tis the first you have met with yet, that has been all clear wit, and no Billinsgate.
1708. Motteux, Rabelais, IV. xlviii. With a jantee pair of Canvass Trowzers.
a. 1771. C. Smart, Fables, xvi. A bag-wig of a jauntee air, Trick’d up with all a barber’s care.
1771. T. Hull, Hist. Sir W. Harrington (1797), II. 226. A true jauntee manner of dressing is, to be sure, a vast advantage.
β. 1662. Hobbes Considered, 54. A new Gin, or other janty device.
1713. Gay, Guard., No. 149, ¶ 7. We owe most of our janty fashions now in vogue, to some adept beau among them.
1760. Warton, Oxford Newsman’s Verses, 9. What tho’ they dress so fine and ja’nty?
1864. A. Leighton, Myst. Leg. Edinburgh (1886), 153. Then every one knew how janty the bachelor had to make himself.
2. Easy and sprightly in manner; having or affecting well-bred or easy sprightliness; affecting airy self-satisfaction or unconcern.
1672. Shadwell, Miser, III. Wks. 1720, III. 48. Just that free and janty mein, that very easy and unconstrain’d motion which she describ’d.
1700. Farquhar, Inconstant, I. ii. Turn you about upon your heel with a jaunty [ed. 1786 janté] air.
1712. Steele, Spect., No. 454, ¶ 4. This sort of Woman is usually a janty Slattern.
1840. Dickens, Barn. Rudge, lviii. He wore a jaunty cap and jacket.
1862. Sala, Seven Sons, II. I. 25. He saw … the jaunty little man coming across the high street.
b. Lively, brisk.
1719. D’Urfey, Pills, III. 228. Brisk and of a Jantee Meen.
1755. Hervey, Theron & Aspasia, I. i. 10. However jauntee and alert the various methods of modern trifling may seem.
1819. Sporting Mag., IV. 155. A quick and janté motion of the finger and thumb.
1866. Livingstone, Last Jrnls., ix. (1873), I. 229. The ladies have a jaunty walk.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), III. 106. The old imitate the jaunty manners of the young.
