erk

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• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)k

Claimed to be a respelling of the abbreviation airc for aircraftsman[1]; or else from irk.[2]

erk (plural erks)

1. (Britain, slang) A member of the groundcrew in the RAF.
   • 2004, Andrea Levy, chapter 9, in Small Island‎, 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.

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?’

• erky

• Ker, RKE, ker-

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

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

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

erk ?

1. (anatomy) testicle

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

• 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

From Proto-Turkic *erk.

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)

• erke
• erkek

erk

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

erk (plural erklar)

1. freedom; liberty