jedi
/ˈd͡ʒɛd.aɪ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.62 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
One of a fictional order of beings from the Star Wars universe who are gifted with heightened awareness of the Force.
name
Example Sentences
- "For quotations using this term, see Citations:Jedi."
- "After Trump’s remarks, the Defense Department launched a review of the JEDI contract."
Etymology
Coined by American filmmaker George Lucas as early as 1973 (in the manuscript Journal of the Whills) and first used in his 1977 film Star Wars. Said to have been adapted from Japanese 時代劇 (jidaigeki, “‘period drama’ motion pictures about samurai”), or perhaps inspired by the words Jed (King) and Jeddak (Emperor) in the Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, which Lucas had considered adapting to film. Another potential influence on the word "Jedi" is Hebrew ידיד (yadíd, “beloved; male friend”). In his book The Secret History of Star Wars, Michael Kaminski suggests that Lucas may have been influenced by this term when creating the name for his knights. Kaminski notes that Lucas has cited Jewish mysticism as an inspiration for his work, and that he may have been drawn to the idea of his heroes being beloved protectors.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: 時代劇, ידיד