ker-

American  

Also ca-,

1. an unstressed syllable prefixed to onomatopoeic and other expressive words, usually forming adverbs or interjections.

   kerflop; kerplunk; ker-splosh.

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Etymology

Origin of ker-

Perhaps from Scots dialect car-, cur-, currie- (as in carfuffle, carwhuffle “to disarrange,” carnaptious “irritable,” curriebuction “a confused gathering, etc.”), based on car, earlier ker “left (hand or side),” from Scots Gaelic cearr “wrong, awkward, left-handed” (compare Middle Irish cerr “crooked, maimed”); variants without r probably reflect forms in r -less dialects

Example Sentences

Whenever she begins to gather way, she runs ker- chug into a big mountain of water and is brought to a standstill.

From The Cruise of the Snark by London, Jack