Jerk Definition
jûrk
jerked, jerking, jerks
verb
jerked, jerking, jerks
To pull, twist, push, thrust, or throw with a sudden, sharp movement.
Webster's New World
To throw or toss with a quick abrupt motion.
American Heritage
To twitch.
Webster's New World
To preserve (meat) by slicing into strips and drying, esp. originally in the sun.
Webster's New World
To make and serve (ice cream sodas)
Webster's New World
noun
jerks
A sharp, abrupt movement; quick pull, twist, push, etc.
Webster's New World
A jolting or lurching motion.
American Heritage
A sudden muscular contraction caused by a reflex action.
Webster's New World
Involuntary convulsive twitching often resulting from excitement. Often used with the.
American Heritage
A person regarded as disagreeable, contemptible, etc., esp. as the result of foolish or mean behavior.
Webster's New World
adjective
Being or relating to a method of barbecuing meat that has been seasoned and wrapped in leaves of the allspice tree.
Jerk chicken.
American Heritage
Marinated with jerk and barbecued.
Jerk chicken, pork, etc.
Webster's New World
idiom
jerk off
- to masturbate
Webster's New World
jerk out
- to utter sharply and abruptly
Webster's New World
Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Jerk
- jerk off
- jerk out
Origin of Jerk
-
Probably from Middle English yerk (“sudden motion”), from Old English ġearc (“ready, active, quick”). Compare Old English ġearcian (“to prepare, make ready, procure, furnish, supply”). Related to yare.
From Wiktionary
-
From American Spanish charquear, from charqui, from Quechuan echarqui (“strips of dried flesh”).
From Wiktionary
Back-formation from jerky
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Origin unknown
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Jerk Is Also Mentioned In
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