Jade

March 2021. ADJECTIVE. Deeply miserly/Extremely low/Down from a fallen love; heartbroken. ETYMOLOGY. Derived from: 1. late 16th century: from French le jade (earlier l'ejade), from Spanish piedra DE IJADA or yjada (1560s), ‘stone OF THE FLANK’ / ‘(stone of) colic or pain IN THE SIDE’ (i.e. stone for colic, which it was believed to cure). Colic is frequent, prolonged and intense crying or fussiness in a seemingly healthy infant. 2. late 14th century; "worn-out horse," , apparently originally "cart horse," a word of uncertain origin. Barnhart and Century Dictionary suggests a variant of yaid, yald "whore," literally "mare" (c. 1400), from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse jalda "mare," and ultimately from Finno-Ugric (compare Mordvin al'd'a "mare"). But OED finds the assumption of a Scandinavian connection "without reason." As a term of abuse for a woman, it dates from 1550s; in early use also of mean or worthless men, and sometimes simply "a young woman." Jade (pain in the flank; emotionally worn out) is the first single-syllable english term to come illustrate the concept of a fallen love.