jerkin
Americannoun
noun
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a sleeveless and collarless short jacket worn by men or women
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a man's sleeveless and collarless fitted jacket, often made of leather, worn in the 16th and 17th centuries
Etymology
Origin of jerkin
First recorded in 1510–20; origin uncertain
Explanation
The short-sleeved leather jacket that men commonly wore during the 16th and 17th centuries was called a jerkin. If you're dressing up for a Renaissance Faire, you might want to wear a jerkin, along with your doublet and tights. Jerkins, snug-fitting, light-colored leather jackets, were often decorated by being cut in slashes or punched with holes. Portraits of Renaissance era men often show them in a doublet, a padded shirt or jacket, topped by a jerkin. In the 20th century, the jerkin made a comeback in the British military during both the first and second World Wars, though it was lined with wool to provide extra warmth to soldiers.
Vocabulary lists containing jerkin
The Tempest
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Henry IV, Part 1
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The Merry Wives of Windsor
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"They make ten hits up there to one at Sam McFaddon's," said Jerkin, again twitching his thumb over his shoulder.
From Cast Adrift by Arthur, T. S. (Timothy Shay)
This beats Swift's etymology of "cucumber," which he once gave at a dinner of the Philological Society: "King Jeremiah, Jeremiah King, Jerkin, Gherkin, Cucumber."
From John Bull, Junior or French as She is Traduced by O'Rell, Max
Stumbling over stock and stone, Jerkin, coat, I've torn, ochone!
From The Poems of Schiller — Suppressed poems by Schiller, Friedrich
Umh, no, but they have stolne my velvet Jerkin.
From A Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 2 by Bullen, A. H. (Arthur Henry)
The ascent of the dividing ridge, after leaving Jerkin, is steep and toilsome for half a mile, but with this exception the passage of the Dovre Fjeld is remarkably easy.
From Northern Travel Summer and Winter Pictures of Sweden, Denmark and Lapland by Taylor, Bayard
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
