jerk
/ˈd͡ʒɝk/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.00 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A sudden, often uncontrolled movement, especially of the human body.
noun
A person with unlikable or obnoxious qualities and behavior, typically mean, immoral, self-centered, or disagreeable.
American usage; Derogatory; Slang
noun
A lift in which the weight is taken with a quick motion from shoulder height to a position above the head with arms fully extended and held there for a brief time.
noun
A dance, popular in Western culture in the 1960s, in which the head and upper body is thrown forwards regularly to the beat of the music.
Example Sentences
- "1856, Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary, Part III Chapter X, translated by Eleanor Marx-Aveling The black cloth bestrewn with white beads blew up from time to time, laying bare the coffin. The tired bearers walked more slowly, and it advanced with constant jerks, like a boat that pitches with every wave."
- "A barrel-organ in the street suddenly sprang with a jerk into a jovial tune."
- "When I yell "OK," give the mooring line a good jerk!"
- "I finally fired him, because he was being a real jerk to his customers, even to some of the staff."
- "You really are a jerk sometimes."
- "Oh, Raymond―don't be such a jerk. Go and get yourself a drink or a tranquilizer or something."
Etymology
Probably from Middle English yerk (“sudden motion”) and Middle English yerkid (“tightly pulled”), from Old English ġearc (“ready, active, quick”) and Old English ġearcian (“to prepare, make ready, procure, furnish, supply”). Cognate with Scots yerk (“to jerk”). Related also to English yare (“ready”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈd͡ʒɝk/
- British English: /ˈd͡ʒɜːk/