jerky

¹

[ jur-kee ]

adjective

, jerk·i·er, jerk·i·est.

1. characterized by jerks or sudden starts; spasmodic.
2. Slang. silly; foolish; stupid; ridiculous.

jerky

²

[ jur-kee ]

noun

1. meat, especially beef, that has been cut in strips and preserved by drying in the sun; jerked meat.

jerky

¹

/ ˈdʒɜːkɪ /

noun

1. See jerk
   another word for jerk 2

jerky

²

/ ˈdʒɜːkɪ /

adjective

1. characterized by jerks; spasmodic

Derived Forms

• ˈjerkiness, noun
• ˈjerkily, adverb

Other Words From

• jerki·ly adverb
• jerki·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of jerky¹

First recorded in 1855–60; jerk ¹ + -y ¹

Origin of jerky²

1840–50, Americanism; alteration of charqui

Example Sentences

As she pulled the rack out in jerky inch-by-inch increments, she gasped so loud the room fell silent.

From Washington Post

He snacked on typical thru-hiker fare—jerky, individually-wrapped pastries, chips—and did push-ups along the way, hoping to keep some upper body strength.

From Outside Online

As a person who loses stuff and moves in a jerky fashion perfect for flinging out earbuds, the idea of truly wireless Bluetooth earbuds still worries me a little.

From Popular-Science

When the orchestra lit into a fast and jerky rhythm, Birkin attempted to drag him onto the dance floor.

From Washington Post

He may be right, but the two companies could be more ambitious than just vegan Doritos and make snacks that have been largely neglected by plant-based meat producers, like beef jerky or pork rinds.

From Vox

They became so brown and shriveled that they looked like walking beef jerky with New York accents.

From The Daily Beast

You, too, will be zipping along to the angular guitars and zigzagging, herky-jerky vocals.

From The Daily Beast

He's so white he's almost mock-white, and so are his jerky, long-necked, mechanical-man movements.

From The Daily Beast

I sent him some caribou jerky from Alaska to help keep up his strength on the Senate floor.

From The Daily Beast

It was superficial and jumpy and herky-jerky, bopping all over the place.

From The Daily Beast

Each sentence came as if torn piecemeal from his unwilling tongue; short, jerky phrases, conceived in pain and delivered in agony.

From Project Gutenberg

Nervous and jerky he walked to the center of the stage, and raised his hand begging silence.

From Project Gutenberg

With jerky motions the black monster drew down, the water rippling and gurgling along the sides.

From Project Gutenberg

He knocked the ashes from his cigar and threw out his arms with one of his odd, jerky gestures.

From Project Gutenberg

He spoke in very fair language, short, jerky sentences, but well-chosen words.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bouncy
• bumpy

More About Jerky

What does jerky mean?

Jerky describes something that involves a lot of jerks, meaning sudden movements.

Jerky also means meat that has been cut into strips and then dried or smoked.

As an adjective, jerky describes something as having irregular, jarring movement, as in It was a long, jerky ride on the carriage thanks to the uncooperative horses.

In this sense, the adverb jerkily means in a jerky movement, as in The wagon bounced jerkily over the rocky path.

The noun form of this sense is jerkiness, as in The jerkiness of the airplane flight quickly made me feel sick.

Jerky is also meat that has been sliced into strips that are then smoked or dried. The term jerked meat is also used to refer to this food. In this sense, jerky is used as both a singular and plural, as in I ate a piece of jerky from the bag of jerky Tom brought on the hike.

Example: The jerky movements of the bull threw the cowboy to the ground.

Where does jerky come from?

The first records of jerky come from around 1670. The adjective comes from the noun jerk, meaning “a sudden movement.” The noun is an Americanism that comes from an alteration of the American-Spanish term charqui, meaning “dried meat.”

In the United States, beef is the most commonly used meat to make jerky, and nearly every grocery store sells bags of beef jerky. However, jerky can be made out of any kind of meat, including alligator, kangaroo, ostrich, and alpaca, which would be considered unusual in the United States.

Jerky can also be used as slang to mean “stupid” or “foolish.” In this sense, jerky is an insult and people described as jerky would not be happy about it.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to jerky?

• jerkily (adverb)
• jerkiness (noun)

What are some synonyms for jerky?

• bouncy
• bumpy
• rough
• twitching

What are some words that share a root or word element with jerky? 

• jerk

What are some words that often get used in discussing jerky?

• movement
• spasm
• turbulence
• meat
• dried
• smoked
• beef

How is jerky used in real life?

The word jerky more often refers to dried meat.

Headed up to Seattle to check in on UW. Thought I'd take the train. Imagined it as quaint experience. More like a jerky carnival ride.

— Chantel Jennings (@ChantelJennings) September 20, 2016

First time doing jerky. Marinated flank for 22 hours and now on the @PitBossGrills at 200F for 5 hours. Not sure what I’m doing exactly but it smells like jerky so that’s a good start. Any pro tips? pic.twitter.com/D6Ljd6EfE1

— Dusty Trotts (@DustyTrotts801) January 12, 2021

Just tried vegan beef jerky with my dog. I ate the first piece, she ate the remaining all of them.

— Elton Castee (@EltonCastee) June 12, 2019

 

 

Try using jerky!

Which of the following words would most likely be used with jerky?

A. fruit
B. drink
C. meat
D. bread