JERKY
What does "JERKY" mean?
Lean meat cut into strips and dried, or movement marked by sudden sharp jolts.
Meanings
- Strips of lean meat that have been salted and dried for preservation. He packed beef jerky for the long hike.
- Moving with abrupt, irregular stops and starts rather than smoothly. The old film projector gave the actors a jerky, twitching walk.
Did you know?
- The 'jerky' you snack on has nothing to do with jerking - it comes from the Quechua word 'ch'arki', meaning dried meat, carried into English through Spanish 'charqui'.
Word origin
The meat sense comes via Spanish 'charqui' from Quechua 'ch'arki' ('dried flesh'); the motion sense is unrelated, from 'jerk' (a sudden sharp pull) plus '-y'.
Remember it
Two unrelated JERKYs: dried meat from Quechua 'ch'arki', and jolty motion from a 'jerk' - same spelling, different ancestors.
A little poem
One word, two roots that never met-
dried beef in Spanish, and a stumble's set.
couplet
Wordplay
- My dance teacher said my moves were jerky. I took it as a compliment - I'm beef now, fully cured.
What it teaches
Two strangers can share a name by accident; spelling is no proof of kinship.
Quick facts
What does JERKY mean?
Lean meat cut into strips and dried, or movement marked by sudden sharp jolts.
Is JERKY a valid word?
Yes — JERKY is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is JERKY?
JERKY has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does JERKY come from?
The meat sense comes via Spanish 'charqui' from Quechua 'ch'arki' ('dried flesh'); the motion sense is unrelated, from 'jerk' (a sudden sharp pull) plus '-y'.
What can JERKY teach us?
Two strangers can share a name by accident; spelling is no proof of kinship.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.