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jerkin

American  
[jur-kin] / ˈdʒɜr kɪn /

noun

  1. a close-fitting jacket or short coat, usually sleeveless, as one of leather worn in the 16th and 17th centuries.


jerkin British  
/ ˈdʒɜːkɪn /

noun

  1. a sleeveless and collarless short jacket worn by men or women

  2. a man's sleeveless and collarless fitted jacket, often made of leather, worn in the 16th and 17th centuries

"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

Etymology

Origin of jerkin

First recorded in 1510–20; origin uncertain

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.

In the mid-2000s, the energy of the L.A. jerkin’ community was so freeing that everybody wanted to be a part of it.

From Los Angeles Times

Kid Soul: Prior to the jerkin’ style getting accepted, it was dissed — the skinny jeans, the bright colors.

From Los Angeles Times

But jerkin’ incubated much of the next generation of L.A. hip-hop.

From Los Angeles Times

Riding on its back was a red-skinned giant with flowers in his rust-colored braids, a jerkin of green leather, and a drakon-rib lance in his hand.

From Literature

The man wears the plain leather jerkin of a soldier or freelance “adventurer.”

From Washington Post