jerky

¹ American  

[jur-kee] / ˈdʒɜr ki /

adjective

jerkier, jerkiest

1. characterized by jerks or sudden starts; spasmodic.

2. Slang. silly; foolish; stupid; ridiculous.

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jerky ² American  

[jur-kee] / ˈdʒɜr ki /

noun

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

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jerky ¹ British  

/ ˈdʒɜːkɪ /

adjective

1. characterized by jerks; spasmodic

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jerky ² British  

/ ˈdʒɜːkɪ /

noun

1. another word for jerk 2

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

• jerkily adverb
• jerkiness noun

Etymology

Origin of jerky¹

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

Origin of jerky²

1840–50, alteration of charqui

Example Sentences

The aim is to be bustlingly kinetic, but the feel is pure kindergarten: no logic, just jerky leaps from one gaming situation to the next, with characters and objects taking on whatever powers are needed.

From The Wall Street Journal

Far in the back was a station that was made of crisscrossing beams, upon which were thin strips of meat being turned into jerky.

From Literature

Dried mango that tears like jerky between your teeth.

From Salon

The Epstein files also feature pizza—and plenty of beef jerky.

From The Wall Street Journal

My foot made jerky motions as it pushed down, but soon the wheel spun with a familiar rhythm, like a song sung to me in the cradle.

From Literature

Related Words

• bouncy
• bumpy