Jo

• enPR: jō
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒəʊ/

    • Audio (Southern England):

      (file)

• Audio (US):

  (file)

  • (General American) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒoʊ/
• Homophones: Joe, joe, Zhou
• Rhymes: -əʊ

Clipping or hypochoristic form of various female given names beginning with Jo..., primarily Joan, Joanna, etc. but also Josephine and Jolene.

Doublet of Ivanka, Jan, Janelle, Janet, Janey, Janine, Jeanette, Jeanie, Jeannette, Jeannine, Jen, Jenna, Jenny, Jessie, Jody, Juanita, Shanae, Sinead, and Vanna in reference to the first derivation.

Jo

1. A female given name.
   • 1888, Marietta Holley, Josiah Allen's Wife as a P.A. and P.I.: Samantha at the Centennial, page 577:

     "Its name is Samantha Jo, after Josiah and me. You know they call girls Jo and Josie a sight lately; its name is agreeable to Josiah and me, very.

   • 2020 May 20, Mike Baker, “G.O.P. Voters Back QAnon Conspiracy Promoter for U.S. Senate”, in The New York Times‎^[1], archived from the original on 21 May 2020:

     Jo Rae Perkins was carrying about 50 percent of the vote in Oregon’s primary as of Wednesday afternoon, vanquishing three other Republican candidates to become the party’s nominee for the seat currently held by Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat.

Primarily used as a nickname but also occasionally used as a formal given name, especially in conjoined names such as Jo Ann and Mary Jo.

• Joe

• Jolene, Jody; see also Joanne

Variant of Joe, diminutive form of Joseph, Josiah, etc.

Jo

1. (rare) Alternative form of Joe.
   • 1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, “Chapter XI”, in Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, →OCLC:

     Name, Jo. Nothing else that he knows on. Don't know that everybody has two names. Never heerd of sich a think. Don't know that Jo is short for a longer name. Thinks it long enough for him. He don't find no fault with it. Spell it? No. He can't spell it.

• Jo Daviess County; see also Jody

• Jo block

• OJ

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -oː

Jo f

1. a diminutive of the female given names Johanna or Josefien

• IPA^(key): /ʒo/

Jo m or f

1. a diminutive of the unisex given names Joanne, Joanna, Josée, José, or Joseph

Jo m

1. (biblical, rare) abbreviation of Johannes (“the Gospel of John”): Joh.

Jo

1. The town of Bandjoun in the Ghomala' language

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

• Erika Eichholzer (editor) et al, Dictionnaire ghomala’ (2002)

From jo (“yes”).

• IPA^(key): /jo/, [joː]
  • Rhymes: -oː

Jo m (uncountable)

1. a yes

• Neen

Short form of names with the element jo (such as Jostein and Jorid), from jór (“horse”).

Jo m (definite Joen)

1. a male given name

Jo f (definite Joa)

1. a female given name

Jo m (definite Joen)

1. (rare) a female given name, short for Josefine, Johanne etc.