Definition of: j, J

(jā) noun plural j's, J's or js, Js, jays (jāz)
1. The tenth letter of the English alphabet: originally identical with Roman I. In the 17th century, the calligraphic practice of carrying initial I (which usually had consonant value) both above and below the line gradually developed into a graphic distinction between i the vowel and i or j the consonant.
2. A sound of the letter j, usually a voiced affricate, as in judge (juj); in borrowings from Modern French, often a voiced, alveolar fricative, as in jabot. See ALPHABET.
—symbol
1. In Roman numerals, one: used as a variant of i at the end of a number, as vij, especially in medical prescriptions.
2. Anything shaped like a J, as a bolt or hook.