definitions

ilk

1
[ ilk ]
/ ɪlk /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ilk ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

family, class, or kind: he and all his ilk.

adjective

same.

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RELATED WORDS

sort, set, classification, variety, gender, brand, denomination, class, order, race, kin, lot, persuasion, species

Nearby words

iliopsoas muscle, iliotibial band, iliotrochanteric, iliotrochanteric ligament, ilium, ilk, ilka, ilkeston, ilkley, ill, ill at ease

Idioms

    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.

Origin of ilk

1
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 like1; cf. which, such

Definition for ilk (2 of 2)

ilk

2
[ ilk ]
/ ɪlk /
Chiefly Scot.

pronoun

each.

adjective

each; every.

Origin of ilk

2
before 900; Middle English ilk, north variant of ilch, Old English ylc (pronoun) each
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ilk

British Dictionary definitions for ilk (1 of 2)

ilk

1
/ (ɪlk) /

noun

a type; class; sort (esp in the phrase of that, his, her, etc, ilk)people of that ilk should not be allowed here
of that ilk Scot of the place of the same name: used to indicate that the person named is proprietor or laird of the place namedMoncrieff of that ilk

Word Origin for ilk

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

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

British Dictionary definitions for ilk (2 of 2)

ilk

2

ilka (ˈɪlkə)

/ (ɪlk) /

determiner

Scot each; every

Word Origin for ilk

Old English ǣlc each (+ a 1)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012