A jinx (also jynx), in popular

superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and ...

and

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

, is a curse or the attribute of attracting bad or negative luck. The word ''"jynx"'' meaning the bird wryneck and sometimes a charm or spell has been in use in English since the seventeenth century. The modern spelling and connotations developed late in the nineteenth century. In the 21st-century press, the suggestion a ship might be "jinxed" was made in connection with two cruise liners after misfortunes, MS ''Queen Victoria'' and the ''

Emerald Princess ''Emerald Princess'' is a ''Crown''-class cruise ship for Princess Cruises that entered service in April 2007. Her sister ships include and . ''Emerald Princess'' launched from the Italian shipyard of Fincantieri Monfalcone on 1 June 2006. Sh ...

''. In the 20th century, the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS ''Melbourne'' was sometimes said to be jinxed, having twice struck a friendly ship, with considerable loss of life. The term "jinx" also arises when one does not want to say something positive about an incomplete or inconclusive situation out of fear of "jinxing it". The superstition goes that speaking positively about one's current situation will cause it to be "jinxed", and things will start to go wrong. Jinx is also the name given to a game between friends (especially children) when two people say the same word or phrase at the same time and they then call "jinx".

Etymology

The ''Online Etymology Dictionary'' states that "jynx", meaning a charm or spell, was in usage in English as early as the 1690s. The same source states that "jinx", with that specific spelling, is first attested in

American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lan ...

in 1911. Jynx/jinx is traced to the 17th-century word ''jyng'', meaning "a spell", and ultimately to the Latin word ''iynx'', also spelled ''jynx'', as 'j' and 'i' are the same letter in Latin. The Latin ''iynx'' came from the Greek name of the wryneck bird, ''iunx'', associated with sorcery; not only was the bird used in the casting of spells and in

divination Divination (from Latin ''divinare'', 'to foresee, to foretell, to predict, to prophesy') is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic, standardized process or ritual. Used in various forms throughout histor ...

, but the Ancient Romans and Greeks traced the bird's mythological origins to a sorceress named

Iynx In Greek mythology, Iynx ( grc-gre, Ἴϋγξ, Íÿnx) was an Arcadian Oread nymph; a daughter of the god Pan and Echo. In popular myth, she used an enchantment to cast a spell on Zeus which caused him to fall in love with Io (mythology), Io. I ...

, who was transformed into this bird to punish her for a spell cast on the god

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

History

A ''"Mr Jinx"'' appeared in ''Ballou's monthly magazine'' – Volume 6, page 276, in 1857. Barry Popik of the

American Dialect Society The American Dialect Society (ADS), founded in 1889, is a learned society "dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other languages, influencing it or influenced by it." The Society p ...

suggests that the word should be traced back to an American folksong called ''Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines'' written by William Lingard in 1868. In 1887, the character Jinks Hoodoo, described as ''"a curse to everybody, including himself"'' appeared in the musical comedy ''Little Puck'', and the name was quickly picked up by the press.

In sports

One of the uses of the word "jinx" has been in the context of

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

; in the short story ''The Jinx'' (1910) – later collected in the book ''The Jinx: Stories of the Diamond'' (1911) –

Allen Sangree Allen Luther Sangree, also as Allan or Alan (c. 1878 – March 2, 1924) was an American sports writer and war journalist. Life Father: Milton H. Sangree, Mother: Jane E. Hudson. Born around 1878, most likely in the area of Harrisburg or Steelt ...

wrote:

By th' bones of Mike Kelly, I'll do it! Yes, sir, I'll hoodoo th' whole darned club, I will. I'll put a jinx on 'em or my name ain't Dasher, an' that goes!

And again and later referenced in ''Pitching at a Pinch'' (1912), Christy Mathewson explained that "a jinx is something which brings bad luck to a ball player." Baseball's most common "jinx" belief is that talking about a pitcher's ongoing no-hitter will cause it to be ended. See also Curse of the Bambino.

References

{{Superstitions Luck Curses