jerk

See also: Jerk

jerk - English

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA: /d͡ʒɜːk/
(US) IPA: /d͡ʒɝk/

Alternative forms

yark

Noun

jerk (plural jerks)

A sudden, often uncontrolled movement, especially of the body.
A quick, often unpleasant tug or shake.
- When I yell "OK," give the mooring line a good jerk!
(Canada, US, slang, derogatory) A person with unlikable or obnoxious qualities and behavior, typically mean, self-centered, or disagreeable.
(US, slang, derogatory) A dull or stupid person.
(physics, engineering) The rate of change in acceleration with respect to time.
(obsolete) A soda jerk.
(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

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
(unlikable person): asshole, bastard, twat, knobhead, tosser, wanker, git, dick; see jerk.
(stupid person): numbskull
(physics, change in acceleration): jolt (British), surge, lurch

Derived terms

Translations

Arabic: رَعَشَة‎ f (raʕaša)
Bulgarian: рязко движение (rjazko dviženie)
Chinese:
- Mandarin: 痙攣／痉挛 (zh) (jìngluán)
Dutch: tic (nl) m
Finnish: nytkähdys (fi), säpsähdys (fi)
French: tic (fr), myoclonie (fr), clonie (fr), convulsion (fr), spasme (fr), tressaillement (fr), sursaut (fr), soubresaut (fr)
Georgian: სპაზმი (sṗazmi), კრუნჩხვა (ḳrunčxva), ტოკვა (ṭoḳva)
German: Zuckung f
Icelandic: kippur m, viðbragð (is) n
Interlingua: spasmo
Italian: sobbalzo (it), scatto (it), spasmo (it), tic (it)
Portuguese: tique (pt) m, cacoete (pt) m, trejeito (pt) m, espasmo (pt) m
Russian: вздра́гивание (ru) n (vzdrágivanije), подёргивание (ru) n (podjórgivanije), спазм (ru) m (spazm) (spasm), су́дорога (ru) f (súdoroga) (cramp), тик (ru) m (tik) (tic)
Spanish: tic m, espasmo (es) m, estremecimiento (es), repullo
Swedish: ryckning (sv) c, spasm (sv) c
Turkish: silki (tr), titreme (tr)

Arabic: هَزَّة‎ f (hazza)
Bulgarian: дърпане (bg) n (dǎrpane), друсане (bg) n (drusane)
Chinese:
- Mandarin: 抖 (zh) (dǒu)
Dutch: ruk (nl) m
Finnish: nykäisy (fi), nykäys (fi), kiskaisu
French: secousse (fr), saccade (fr), cahot (fr)
Georgian: ხელის კვრა (xelis ḳvra), კვრა (ḳvra)
German: Ruck (de) m
Icelandic: rykkur m, kippur m
Interlingua: succussa
Italian: strattone (it), strappo (it)
Maori: pahiwi
Portuguese: puxada f, sacudida (pt) f
Russian: рыво́к (ru) m (ryvók), толчо́к (ru) m (tolčók) (push)
Spanish: sacudida (es) f, tirón (es), tumbo (es)
Swedish: ryck (sv) n, skakning (sv) c, knyck (sv) c
Turkish: ani hareket

Finnish: tomppeli (fi), toope (fi)
German: Trottel (de) m, Dummkopf (de) m, Blödmann (de) m
Portuguese: babaca (pt)
Swedish: fjant (sv)
Welsh: twpsyn

Arabic: ^{(please verify)} أحمق‎ or ^{(please verify)} مغفل‎
Chinese:
- Mandarin: 傻瓜 (zh) (shǎguā), 蠢人 (zh) (chǔnrén), 笨蛋 (zh) (bèndàn)
Czech: blb (cs) m, blbec (cs) m, debil (cs) m, idiot (cs) m, kretén (cs) m, pitomec (cs) m
Danish: halvhjerne c, narrøv c, pikspiller, skiderik
Dutch: zak (nl) m, lul (nl) m, droplul (nl) m, klojo (nl) m
Esperanto: stultulo (eo), idioto, aĉulo (eo)
Finnish: paskiainen (fi), ääliö (fi), idiootti (fi), mulkku (fi) (vulgar)
French: conard (fr) m, connard (fr) m, con (fr) m, crétin (fr)
German: Arsch (de) m, Arschloch (de) n, Schwein (de) m, Trottel (de) m, Hanswurst (de) m, Flasche (de) f, Wichser (de) m, Saftsack (de) m, Sackarsch m
Greek: κόπανος (el) m (kópanos)
Hindi: चांडाल (hi) m (cāṇḍāl)
Hungarian: seggfej (hu), geci (hu)
Indonesian: bajingan (id), bangsat (id), brengsek (id), sontoloyo (id)
Interlingua: vexator
Italian: idiota (it), scemo (it), stronzo (it), babbeo (it) m, chiavica f, buco del culo m
Macedonian: шутрак m (šutrak)
Portuguese: estúpido (pt), abécula (pt)
Russian: подле́ц (ru) m (podléc), негодя́й (ru) m (negodjáj), гад (ru) m (gad), гни́да (ru) f (gnída), муда́к (ru) m (mudák), деби́л (ru) m (debíl)
Spanish: cretino (es) m, imbécil (es), culeado (es) m (Latin America), tipejo, soplagaitas (es)
Swedish: tölp (sv) c, idiot (sv) c
Tagalog: gago
Turkish: aşağılık kimse, pislik (tr)
Urdu: چنڈال‎ m

Belarusian: рывок m (ryvók)
Catalan: sobreacceleració f
Chinese:
- Mandarin: 加加速度 (jiājiāsùdù), 急動度／急动度 (jídòngdù)
Czech: ryv
Finnish: nykäys (fi), kiihtyvyyden muutos
French: suraccélération (fr) f
German: Ruck (de) m
Indonesian: sentakan (id) (from Malay), perubahan percepatan
Japanese: 躍度 (ja) (やくど, yakudo), 加加速度 (かかそくど, kakasokudo)
Korean: 가가속도 (gagasokdo)
Malay: sentakan (ms)
Polish: zryw m
Russian: рыво́к (ru) m (ryvók)
Turkish: ani hareket

Bulgarian: изтласкване n (iztlaskvane)

Verb

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

(intransitive) To make a sudden uncontrolled movement.
(transitive) To give a quick, often unpleasant tug or shake.
(US, slang, vulgar) To masturbate.
(obsolete) To beat, to hit.
(obsolete) To throw with a quick and suddenly arrested motion of the hand.
- to jerk a stone
(usually transitive, weightlifting) To lift using a jerk.
(obsolete) To flout with contempt.

Derived terms

Translations

Arabic: يرتعش‎
Bulgarian: трепвам (bg) (trepvam), дръпвам се (drǎpvam se)
Finnish: nytkähtää (fi), heilahtaa (fi)
German: zucken (de)
Portuguese: espasmar (pt)
Russian: вздра́гивать (ru) impf (vzdrágivatʹ), вздро́гнуть (ru) pf (vzdrógnutʹ), дёргаться (ru) impf (djórgatʹsja), дёрнуться (ru) pf (djórnutʹsja)

Arabic: يهز‎
Bulgarian: тласкам (bg) (tlaskam), друсам (bg) (drusam)
Chinese:
- Mandarin: 抖 (zh) (dǒu)
Finnish: nytkäyttää (fi), heilauttaa, heilahduttaa, tönäistä (fi)
German: rucken (de)
Maori: whakanou, whakanounou, pahiwi
Russian: дёргать (ru) impf (djórgatʹ), дёрнуть (ru) pf (djórnutʹ), рвану́ть (ru) pf (rvanútʹ)
Zealandic: snokke

Noun

jerk (uncountable)

(Caribbean, Jamaica) A rich, spicy Jamaican marinade.
(Caribbean, Jamaica) Meat (or sometimes vegetables) cured by jerking, in which it is coated in spices and slow-cooked over a fire or grill traditionally composed of green pimento wood positioned over burning coals; charqui.
- Jerk chicken is a local favorite.

Related terms

jerky (noun)

Translations

Verb

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

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

Translations

Chinese:
- Mandarin: 曬乾／晒干 (zh) (shàigān), 風乾／风干 (zh) (fēnggān)
Finnish: kuivata (fi), valmistaa kuivalihaa
German: dörren (de)
Portuguese: charquear (pt)
Quechua: ch'arkiy
Russian: вя́лить (ru) impf (vjálitʹ)
Tagalog: lukbain

jerk - French

Pronunciation

IPA: /dʒɛʁk/

Noun

jerk m (plural jerks)

jerk (dance)

jerk - Lower Sorbian

Alternative forms

jark, nerk

Noun

jerk m

jerk - Manx

Verb

jerk (verbal noun jerkal, past participle jerkit)

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.