Jeez
/dʒiːz/noun
An informal exclamation used to express surprise, annoyance, or emphasis.
Did you know?Jeez is a euphemistic alteration of Jesus, part of a long English habit of reshaping holy names into everyday exclamations to avoid blasphemy while keeping the emotional charge.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
English
hālig
“holy, sacred”
Middle English
English
Jesus
“the name of Christ”
18th–19th Century
English
gee
“a softened exclamation derived from Jesus”
19th–20th Century
English
jeez
“a euphemistic exclamation, especially of surprise or annoyance”
Modern English
English
jeez
“an informal exclamation used to express emotion or emphasis”