Jealous, a.
Etymology: [OE. jalous, gelus, OF. jalous, F. jaloux, LL. zelosus zealous, fr. zelus emulation, zeal, jealousy, Gr. Zeal, and cf. Zealous.]
1. Zealous; solicitous; vigilant; anxiously watchful. I have been very jeolous for the Lord God of hosts. Kings xix. 10. How nicely jealous is every one of us of his own repute! Dr. H. More.
2. Apprehensive; anxious; suspiciously watchful. 'This doing wrong creates such doubts as these, Renders us jealous and disturbs our peace. Waller. The people are so jealous of the clergy's ambition. Swift.
3. Exacting exclusive devotion; intolerant of rivalry. Thou shalt worship no other God; for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. Ex. xxxiv. 14.
4. Disposed to suspect rivalry in matters of interest and affection; apprehensive regarding the motives of possible rivals, or the fidelity of friends; distrustful; having morbid fear of rivalry in love or preference given to another; painfully suspicious of the faithfulness of husband, wife, or lover. If the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife. Num. v. 14. To both these sisters have I sworn my love: Each jealous of the other, as the stung Are of the adder. Shak. It is one of the best bonds, both of chastity and obedience, in the wife, if she think her husband wise; which she will never do if she find him jealous. Bacon.
1 more senses
Syn. -- Suspicious; anxious; envious. Jealous, Suspicious. Suspicious is the wider term. We suspect a person when we distrust his honesty and imagine he has some bad design. We are jealous when we suspect him of aiming to deprive us of what we dearly prize. Iago began by awakening the suspicions of Othello, and converted them at last into jealousy. "Suspicion may be excited by some kind of accusation, not supported by evidence sufficient for conviction, but sufficient to trouble the repose of confidence." "Jealousy is a painful apprehension of rivalship in cases that are peculiarly interesting to us." Cogan.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for jealous; he lists it under envious.
Where he writes about it:
A person is envious of that which is another's, and to which he himself has no right or claim; he is jealous of intrusion upon that which is his own, or to which he maintains a right or claim. — from envious
An envious spirit is always bad; a jealous spirit may be good or bad, according to its object and tendency. — from envious
A free people must be jealous of their liberties if they would retain them. — from envious