Definitions for "Jaunty"
having a cheerful, lively, and self-confident air; "looking chipper, like a man...diverted by his own wit"- Frances G. Patton; "life that is gay, brisk, and debonair"- H.M.Reynolds; "walked with a jaunty step"; "a jaunty optimist"
Keywords:  xvii, aglicised, gendarme, damme, naval
Naval The traditional nickname for the Master-At-Arms, the chief of the ship's police. At the end of the XVII century the Master-At-Arms was the Small Arms Instructor and also responsible for the minor organisation of the ship's company; he lost this latter responsibility when Commander's Offices were introduced in about 1926. The name "Master-At-Arms" first appears in about 1860. The name "Jaunty" is said to be a corruption of the French GENDARME, which, aglicised, became John Damme
Airy; showy; finical; hence, characterized by an affected or fantastical manner.
marked by smartness in dress and manners; "a dapper young man"; "a jaunty red hat"