jerk

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /dʒɜːk/
• (US) IPA: /dʒɝk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(r)k

Etymology 1

Possibly from Middle English yerk (“sudden motion”)

Noun

jerk (plural jerks)

1. A sudden, often uncontrolled movement, especially of the body.
   • 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.

2. A quick, often unpleasant tug or shake.

   When I yell "OK," give the mooring line a good jerk!

3. (US, slang, pejorative) A dull or stupid person.
4. (US, slang, pejorative) A person with unlikable or obnoxious qualities and behavior, typically mean, self-centered, or disagreeable.

   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.

5. (physics, engineering) The rate of change in acceleration with respect to time.
6. (obsolete) A soda jerk.
7. (weightlifting) 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.

Usage notes

Wikipedia

• Jerk is measured in metres per second cubed (m/s³) in SI units, or in feet per second cubed (ft/s³) in imperial units.

Synonyms

• (sudden movement): jolt, lurch, jump
• (quick tug): yank
• (stupid person): numbskull
• (unlikable person): asshole, bastard, twat, knobhead, tosser, wanker, git, dick.
• (physics, change in acceleration): jolt (British), surge, lurch

Derived terms

• jerkish
• soda jerk

Translations

sudden, uncontrolled movement

Arabic: رعشة (Ra'asha) Chinese: Mandarin: please add this translation if you can Finnish: nytkähdys (fi) French: tic (fr), myoclonie (fr), clonie (fr), convulsion (fr), spasme (fr), tressaillement (fr), sursaut (fr), soubresaut (fr)

German: Zuckung f. Interlingua: spasmo Italian: sobbalzo (it), scatto (it), spasmo (it), tic (it) Spanish: tic (es) m., espasmo (es) m., estremecimiento (es), repullo (es)

quick, often unpleasant tug or shake

Arabic: هزة (hazza) Chinese: Mandarin: please add this translation if you can Finnish: nykäisy (fi), nykäys (fi) French: secousse  (fr), saccade (fr), cahot (fr)

German: Ruck (de) m. Interlingua: succussa Italian: strattone (it), strappo (it) Spanish: sacudida (es) f., tirón (es), tumbo (es)

unlikable person

Arabic: أحمق or مغفل Chinese: Mandarin: 傻瓜 (cmn) (shǎguā), 蠢人 (cmn) (chǔnrén), 笨蛋 (cmn) (bèndàn) Finnish: paskiainen (fi), ääliö (fi), idiootti (fi) French: conard (fr) m., connard (fr) m., con (fr) m., crétin (fr), mauvais con (fr) German: Arsch (de) m., Arschloch (de) n.

Greek: κόπανος (el) (kopanos) m. Interlingua: vexator Italian: idiota (it), scemo (it), sgradevole (it), offensivo (it), odioso (it), stronzo (it) Portuguese: estúpido (pt) Spanish: gilí (es) m. and f., tonto (es), miserable (es), huevón (es), gilipollas (es)

change in acceleration with respect to time

Chinese: Mandarin: please add this translation if you can Czech: ryv

Finnish: kiihtyvyyden (fi) muutos (fi), nykäys (fi) German: Ruck (de) m.

soda jerk — see soda jerk

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Telugu: కుదుపు (kudupu)

See also

• acceleration
• displacement
• velocity

Verb

jerk (third-person singular simple present jerks, present participle jerking, simple past and past participle jerked)

1. (intransitive) To make a sudden uncontrolled movement.
2. (transitive) To give a quick, often unpleasant tug or shake.
3. (US, slang, vulgar) To masturbate.
4. (obsolete) To beat, to hit.
5. (obsolete) To throw.
6. To cut and dry meat.
7. (usually transitive, weightlifting) To lift using a jerk.

Translations

intransitive: to make a sudden uncontrolled movement

Arabic: يرتعش (ar) Finnish: nytkähtää (fi), heilahtaa (fi)

German: zucken (de)

transitive: to give a quick, often unpleasant tug or shake

Arabic: يهز (ar) Finnish: nytkäyttää (fi), heilauttaa (fi), heilahduttaa (fi)

German: rucken (de)

cut and dry meat

German: dörren (de)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Telugu: కుదుపు (kudupu)

Derived terms

• jerk off
• jerksome

Etymology 2

From American Spanish charquear, from charqui, from Quechuan echarqui (“strips of dried flesh”).

Noun

jerk (uncountable)

1. (Caribbean) A rich, spicy Jamaican marinade
2. (Caribbean) Meat cured by jerking; charqui.

   Jerk chicken is a local favorite.

Translations

A rich, spicy Jamaican marinade; a dish made with such a marinade

Related terms

• jerky (noun)

Verb

jerk (third-person singular simple present jerks, present participle jerking, simple past and past participle jerked)

1. To cure (meat) by cutting it into strips and drying it, originally in the sun.

Translations

To marinade in jerk seasoning

---

French

Etymology

From English

Noun

jerk m. (plural jerks)

1. jerk (dance)

---

Manx

Verb

jerk (verbal noun jerkal, past participle jerkit)

1. to expect

Mutation

Manx mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
jerk	yerk	n'yerk
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.