junk English · revision 10458

17 Oct 2026, 02:48 by bogdan “en10k b0354: fork … pork”
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+ Junk, rubbish, first meant old rope and is of uncertain origin; junk, the Chinese ship, is from Malay.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)
+ 
+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /d͡ʒʌŋk/^(Wiktionary)
+ 
+ {{homograph|1|rubbish}}
+ 
+ {{infobox|confidence=uncertain|attested=1338}}
+ 
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is Middle English junke, jonke, an old cable or rope, a nautical word of uncertain origin.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) It may be the same word as junke, a rush, from Old French jonc, rush, reed, from Latin iuncus (see [[jonquil]]), also used of something worthless,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) but the OED finds no evidence of a connection.^(Etymonline)
+ 
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ An old cable or rope: 1338, in a document of the Royal Navy;^(Barnhart 1988) the mid-14th century in Etymonline.^(Etymonline)
+ 
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ Old rope cut up for fenders and gaskets is from 1666, in Pepys.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) Salt meat on long voyages, compared to pieces of rope, is from 1762.^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) In American English it was extended to old refuse from ships sold in marine stores (1842),^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) giving ''junk dealer'' (1866) and ''junkman'' (1872),^(Barnhart 1988) and to old or discarded articles of any kind about 1880–84.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) A narcotic drug, especially heroin, is from 1925,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) the source of ''junkie''.^(Cresswell 2021) ''Junk jewelry'' is from 1939, ''junk mail'' from 1954, ''junk food'' from 1971 and ''junk bond'' from 1979.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) The verb, to cut into lumps, is from 1803, and to throw away as trash from 1908.^(Etymonline) The American Heritage note cites junk as an example of generalization of meaning.^(AHD)
+ 
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 1338 – old rope.^(Barnhart 1988)
+ * 1666 – rope for fenders.^(Barnhart 1988)
+ * 1762 – salt meat.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1842 – marine refuse.^(Barnhart 1988)
+ * c. 1880 – discarded articles.^(Barnhart 1988)
+ * 1925 – narcotics.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1971 – junk food.^(Etymonline)
+ 
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # Discarded or worthless articles; [[rubbish]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # Cheap or shoddy material; nonsense.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # ''(slang)'' [[heroin|alt=Heroin]] or other narcotics.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ # Hard salt beef eaten at sea.^(AHD)
+ 
+ ===Verb===
+ # ''(informal)'' To throw away as useless; to scrap.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)
+ 
+ ===Adjective===
+ # Cheap, shoddy or worthless; of little real value.^(AHD)
+ 
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[junkie]]
+ * [[junkyard]]
+ * [[junk food]]
+ * [[junk mail]]
+ 
+ {{homograph|2|ship}}
+ 
+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1613|origins=pt junco|origins=ms jong}}
+ 
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is [[bor|pt|junco]] or Dutch jonk,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) from Malay jong, ajong, ship, large boat,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) probably from Javanese jong.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)
+ 
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ A Chinese sailing ship: 1613, in ''Purchas his Pilgrimage'';^(Barnhart 1988) the 1610s in Etymonline, 1609 in Merriam-Webster.^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) In the 16th century it appeared in English as giunche and iunco.^(Etymonline)
+ 
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ The SOED dates the word to the mid-16th century.^(SOED 2002)
+ 
+ ==Timeline==
+ * 16th century – giunche, iunco.^(Etymonline)
+ * 1613 – junk.^(Barnhart 1988)
+ 
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # A flat-bottomed Chinese sailing ship with a high stern and battened sails.^(AHD)^(SOED 2002)
+ 
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[junket]]
+ * [[jonquil]]
+ 
+ ==Usage notes==
+ In Gloucestershire dialect a junk was a tasty dish, a hash or stew.^(Wright 1898)
+ 
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}