I’m not investigating the word “JUST” as “Just/Joust,” a 16th century noun meaning “Combat in which two knights or men-at arms on horseback encountered each other with lances;” or this sort of “combat for sport.”

Nor the 14th century “JUST,” a “large-bellied pot with handles, used for holding wine or beer.”

          My 11+-pound Random House Dictionary has thirteen definitions for this usage alone. In the 13th century, “Just” meant “to join, to approach, to come together.” We aren’t going there.

 I just won’t force all twenty Oxford English Dictionary adjectival definitions on you. It’s just that in #8, I did like this example from 1876.

“A just-bearable specimen of the way in which ladies of quality could write.” “Men & Women,” by I. Hunt

    Just wait a minute, I thought

 I am intrigued by this four-lettered word we English speakers toss off the tongue nearly as often as we do our familiar filler sounds: “umm” or “ahh.”

 Examples I’ve recently heard:

If you would just . . .

Just a minute . . .

I just reached over . . .

It’s just that . . .

Just recently, just now, just then, just when, just where, just what, just how, just because, just try, It’s just three?

Don’t try using “Just desserts.” “Just” yes, but not “desserts.” Nothing sweet here. Deserts (one S) is from the French for deserve. This has everything to do with deserved punishment.

In the case of our dog, Scooter, “Just” is an imperative pleading.

            “Scooter, just stop that!     

 Our daughter called today. She asked, “Is your phone just a 14? Not a pro or max?”

I answered, “Let me check. I think just a 14.”

 “Gig Harbor NOW” on-line newspaper recently (just) posted this notice on-line: “And yet, just 12% of our total 3,499 newsletter subscribers donated to our efforts in the last year.”  Come on Gig Harbor readers, just give!

 You can skip these next paragraphs unless like me, you just enjoy rabbit trails.

Forget that “Just” once was a noun (A Joust). It has been employed by English as an adverb or adjective since at least the 14th century. It can mean “a little,” or “merely” or “simply,” “exactly,” “absolutely” “closely,” “actually,” or “barely,” as in, you just missed. It can suggest place or position, as in “Just at, in, over, even to, as far as.”

JUST can imply time, as in “just now.” What about a “just war”? But then, if you attach “Just” to “Punishment,” you have a very different thing. War is legitimized by just. Punishment is deserved. Tie “just” to “recently” and with the help of redundancy you’ve doubled the force of a very short time. It’s a powerful four-letter word.

Just imagine coming to English as a new language, and trying to tame this word. It’s just nearly impossible.

I’ve got bird-watching friends aplenty. Here’s a challenge that requires no equipment other than attention. Count the number of times in a day you hear the word, “Just.” Keep me posted. Just for the fun of it.

Barb

BONUS MATERIAL:

1819, Byron  Tuan, ‘he was in love . . . so was she. Just in the way we very often see.”

1735 Pope, Ep. Lady.161  “She speaks, behaves, and acts just as she ought.”

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