ilk

¹

[ilk]

noun

1. family, class, or kind.

   he and all his ilk.

adjective

1. same.

ilk

²

[ilk]

pronoun

1. each.

adjective

1. each; every.

ilk

¹

/ ɪlk /

noun

1. a type; class; sort (esp in the phrase of that, his, her, etc, ilk )

   people of that ilk should not be allowed here

2. of the place of the same name: used to indicate that the person named is proprietor or laird of the place named

   Moncrieff of that ilk

ilk

²

/ ɪlk, ˈɪlkə /

determiner

1. each; every

Usage

Although the use of ilk in the sense of sense 1 is sometimes condemned as being the result of a misunderstanding of the original Scottish expression of that ilk , it is nevertheless well established and generally acceptable

Word History and Origins

Origin of ilk¹

before 900; Middle English ilke, Old English ilca (pronoun) the same, equivalent to demonstrative i (cognate with Gothic is he, Latin is that) + a reduced form of līc like ¹; which, such

Origin of ilk²

before 900; Middle English ilk, north variant of ilch, Old English ylc (pronoun) each

Word History and Origins

Origin of ilk¹

Old English ilca the same family, same kind; related to Gothic is he, Latin is, Old English gelīc like

Origin of ilk²

Old English ǣlc each (+ _a ¹ )

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. of that ilk,

   1. (in Scotland) of the same family name or place.

      Ross of that ilk, i.e., Ross of Ross.

   2. of the same class or kind.

Example Sentences

The danger isn’t that Mr. Fuentes and his ilk drive a genuine movement, but that their sanitization might make them one.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Interest in AI has levitated shares of Nvidia, Broadcom, and their ilk, but also stoked fresh fears of an AI bubble.

Read more on Barron's

Long before “American Idol” and its ilk, pageants were a means for a small-town striver to vault herself into a bigger world.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Like others of its ilk and era, the carousel includes horses carved by the famous artist Charles Looff, creator of the Santa Monica Pier.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Fascists, authoritarians and demagogues of various ilk know this intimately.

Read more on Salon