jenny

n. a female donkey.

n. the female of the donkey (Equus africanus asinus).

“The farmer kept one jenny and two jacks in the small paddock.”

“While the jack is often more vocal, the jenny is frequently praised by handlers for her steady temperament in mountainous terrain.”

Technical

n. an early machine for spinning wool or cotton into thread.

n. a multi-spindle spinning frame, specifically the 'spinning jenny' invented during the early Industrial Revolution.

“The invention of the spinning jenny changed how clothes were made forever.”

“Hargreaves' jenny allowed a single worker to operate eight or more spools at once, drastically increasing the output of the textile industry.”

Technical

n. a female bird, especially a wren.

n. a female bird, most commonly used in the folk name 'Jenny Wren'.

“In the old story, the jenny wren was considered the queen of the birds.”

“The poet personified the jenny as a delicate but resilient figure amidst the harsh winter landscape.”

Literary · Dialect

n. a female kangaroo.

n. a female kangaroo, used primarily in Australian contexts.

“We saw a jenny with a small joey in her pouch.”

“The researchers tracked the jenny across the scrubland to study the nursing habits of the local kangaroo population.”

Dialect · American English

v. to wrap finished lace onto cards so it can be sold.

v. to wind finished lace onto cards in preparation for commercial sale.

“The workers would jenny the lace by hand at the end of the day.”

“Before the process was automated, it was the task of young apprentices to jenny the delicate lace onto decorative cards.”

Technical · Archaic