# Jenny

/ˈdʒɛni/ (US) · /dʒˈɛni/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/jenny
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. female donkey

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a female donkey.

For teachers: 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.

### 2. spinning machine

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

an early machine for spinning wool or cotton into thread.

For teachers: 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.

### 3. female bird

noun · CEFR C2 · Literary · Dialect

a female bird, especially a wren.

For teachers: 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.

### 4. female kangaroo

noun · CEFR C2 · Dialect · American English

a female kangaroo.

For teachers: 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.

### 5. to wind lace

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical · Archaic

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

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- The farmer kept one jenny and two male donkeys.
- While the stallion was restless in the field, the jenny remained calm near the barn door.
- In traditional folk songs, the wren is often personified as Jenny, reflecting a long history of assigning human names to common garden birds.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.