erk

See also: Erk and ərk

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)k

Etymology 1

Claimed to be a respelling of the abbreviation airc for aircraftsman; or else from irk.

Noun

erk (plural erks)

1. (British, slang) A member of the groundcrew in the RAF.
   • 2004, Andrea Levy, chapter 9, in Small Island‎^[1], London: Review, page 345:

     But I wasn’t accepted for flying duty—eyesight failed me. Neither was Frank, which, I’m ashamed to say, I found a relief. We were both channelled as aircrafthands, known to everyone as erks.

Etymology 2

Interjection

erk

1. (colloquial) An expression of trepidation; eek.
2. (Australia, colloquial) An expression of revulsion or disgust; yuck.
   • 1959, D'Arcy Niland, The Big Smoke, page 43:

     ‘Gawd, erk!’ She recoiled and turned away.

   • 1995, Paul Vautin, Turn It Up!, page 29:

     ‘Erk! What’s that big ugly growth you’ve got?’

Derived terms

• erky

Anagrams

• Ker, RKE, ker-

Estonian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *herkkä. Cognate to Finnish herkkä (“delicate, sensitive”), Livonian erk (“lively”), and Votic herkkõ (“gentle”). See also ere.

Adjective

erk (genitive ergu, partitive erku, comparative ergum, superlative kõige ergum) or
erk (genitive erga, partitive erka, comparative ergam, superlative kõige ergam)

1. lively, energetic, vivacious
2. snappy, alert, sharp, ready to react
3. bright, vivid, intense

Declension

Declension of erk (ÕS type 22e/riik, k-g gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		erk	ergud
accusative	nom.
	gen.	ergu
genitive			erkude
partitive		erku	erke erkusid
illative		erku ergusse	erkudesse ergesse
inessive		ergus	erkudes erges
elative		ergust	erkudest ergest
allative		ergule	erkudele ergele
adessive		ergul	erkudel ergel
ablative		ergult	erkudelt ergelt
translative		erguks	erkudeks ergeks
terminative		erguni	erkudeni
essive		erguna	erkudena
abessive		erguta	erkudeta
comitative		erguga	erkudega

Declension of erk (ÕS type 22e/riik, k-g gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		erk	ergad
accusative	nom.
	gen.	erga
genitive			erkade
partitive		erka	erke erkasid
illative		erka ergasse	erkadesse ergesse
inessive		ergas	erkades erges
elative		ergast	erkadest ergest
allative		ergale	erkadele ergele
adessive		ergal	erkadel ergel
ablative		ergalt	erkadelt ergelt
translative		ergaks	erkadeks ergeks
terminative		ergani	erkadeni
essive		ergana	erkadena
abessive		ergata	erkadeta
comitative		ergaga	erkadega

Tocharian B

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

erk ?

1. (anatomy) testicle

Derived terms

• erkatse (“painfully”) (possibly)
• Erkätsole (given name) (possibly)

Further reading

• Adams, Douglas Q. (2013) “erk”, in A Dictionary of Tocharian B: Revised and Greatly Enlarged (Leiden Studies in Indo-European; 10), Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi, →ISBN

Turkish

Etymology

From Proto-Turkic *erk.

Noun

erk (definite accusative erki, plural erkler)

1. ability to have a say in (power to influence)
2. penetration
3. The authority or ability of an individual, a society, to dominate, oppress and control other individuals, groups, or societies, interfere with their freedoms, and force them to behave in certain ways. (Exact official meaning in TDK)

Declension

Inflection
Nominative	erk
Definite accusative	erki
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	erk	erkler
Definite accusative	erki	erkleri
Dative	erke	erklere
Locative	erkte	erklerde
Ablative	erkten	erklerden
Genitive	erkin	erklerin

Derived terms

• erke
• erkek

Uyghur

Other scripts
Perso-Arabic	ئەرك
Latin	‍erk‍
Cyrillic	әрк

Noun

erk

1. Latin spelling of ئەرك (erk, “freedom, liberty”)

Uzbek

Noun

erk (plural erklar)

1. freedom; liberty