name
Meaning 1
A surname.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
clerk
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation: /klɑːk/
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General-American: klerk
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General-American: /klɝk/
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General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Australian: /klɐːk/
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Australian: /klɜːk/
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homophone: Clark (some accents)
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rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)k
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rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)k
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CMU ARPABET: K L ER1 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
One who occupationally provides assistance by working with records, accounts, letters, etc.; an office worker.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
One who occupationally provides assistance by working with records, accounts, letters, etc.; an office worker.
A salesclerk; a person who serves customers in a store or market.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
One who occupationally provides assistance by working with records, accounts, letters, etc.; an office worker.
A law clerk.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
One who occupationally provides assistance by working with records, accounts, letters, etc.; an office worker.
An employee at a hotel who deals with guests.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
One who occupationally provides assistance by working with records, accounts, letters, etc.; an office worker.
The chief legal advisor of a legislature or legislative chamber, who is usually also responsible for keeping minutes of sittings.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
A facilitator of a Quaker meeting for business affairs.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Quakerism
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
In the Church of England, the layman that assists in the church service, especially in reading the responses (also called parish clerk and Bible clerk).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 9
A cleric or clergyman (the legal title for clergy of the Church of England is "Clerk in Holy Orders", still used in legal documents and cherished by some of their number).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
A scholar.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
Examples
- 13th century, Traditional carol, And all was for an appel, an appel that he toke/As clerkès finden written in their boke.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 11
To act as a clerk, to perform the duties or functions of a clerk.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- The law school graduate clerked for the supreme court judge for the summer.
- 1956, Jean Stafford, "A Reading Problem" in The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford, New York: E.P. Dutton, 1984, p. 332, In the winter, they lived in a town called Hoxie, Arkansas, where Evangelist Gerlash clerked in the Buttorf drugstore and preached and baptized on the side.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 12
To assemble information about a patient during their initial assessment by actions such as a taking a detailed medical history and performing a physical examination.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: medicine, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 13
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: employee
Narrower terms: desk clerk, hotel desk clerk, hotel clerk, file clerk, filing clerk, filer, paper-pusher, penpusher, pencil pusher, plotter, mapper, postal clerk, mail clerk, settler, shipping clerk, sorter, tallyman, tally clerk, timekeeper
noun
Meaning 14
a salesperson in a store
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: salesclerk, shop clerk, shop assistant
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: salesperson, sales representative, sales rep
Narrower terms: shop boy, shop girl
verb
Meaning 15
work as a clerk, as in the legal business
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: work
History
Etymology
Derived from the noun clerk
From Middle English clerc, from Old English clerc, from Late Latin clēricus (“priest, clergyman, cleric”, also generally “learned man, clerk”), from Ancient Greek κληρικός (klērikós, “of the clergy”, adj. in church jargon), from κλῆρος (klêros, “lot, inheritance”, originally “shard used in casting lots”). Doublet of cleric. Compare typologically Russian дьяк (dʹjak) (akin to дья́кон (dʹjákon)).
Across languages
Translations
175 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Catalan: clergue — cleric or clergyman
- Galician: crego — cleric or clergyman
- Portuguese: clérigo — cleric or clergyman
- Spanish: clérigo — cleric or clergyman
- Afrikaans: klerk — one working with records etc.
- Albanian: shkrues — one working with records etc.
- Arabic: مُوَظَّف (muwaẓẓaf) — one working with records etc.
- Arabic: مُوَظَّفَة (muwaẓẓafa) — one working with records etc.
- Armenian: կլերկ (klerk) — one working with records etc.
- Armenian: գրասենյակային ծառայող (grasenyakayin caṙayoġ) — one working with records etc.
- Armenian: գրագիր (gragir) — one working with records etc.
- Azerbaijani: katib — one working with records etc.
- Belarusian: клерк (kljerk) — one working with records etc.
- Belarusian: службо́вец (službóvjec) — one working with records etc.
- Belarusian: службо́ўка (službówka) — one working with records etc.
- Belarusian: слу́жачы (slúžačy) — one working with records etc.
- Belarusian: слу́жачая (slúžačaja) — one working with records etc.
- Bulgarian: чино́вник (činóvnik) — one working with records etc.
- Bulgarian: чино́вница (činóvnica) — one working with records etc.
- Bulgarian: чино́вничка (činóvnička) — one working with records etc.
- Burmese: စာရေး (care:) — one working with records etc.
- Catalan: oficinista — one working with records etc.
- Chechen: йохкархо (joxkarxo) — one working with records etc.
- Chichewa: kalaliki — one working with records etc.
- Chinese Mandarin: 書記 /书记 (shūjì) — one working with records etc.
- Chinese Mandarin: 店員 /店员 (diànyuán) — one working with records etc.
- Chinese Mandarin: 營業員 /营业员 (yíngyèyuán) — one working with records etc.
- Chinese Mandarin: 文員 /文员 (wényuán) — one working with records etc.
- Czech: úředník — one working with records etc.
- Czech: úřednice — one working with records etc.
- Danish: kontorassistent — one working with records etc.
- Danish: kontorfunktionær — one working with records etc.
- Danish: ekspedient — one working with records etc.
- Danish: ekspeditrice — one working with records etc.
- Dutch: klerk — one working with records etc.
- Dutch: bediende — one working with records etc.
- Esperanto: komizo — one working with records etc.
- Esperanto: oficisto — one working with records etc.
- Esperanto: aktisto — one working with records etc.
- Estonian: äriteenija — one working with records etc.
- Estonian: kontoriametnik — one working with records etc.
- Finnish: konttoristi — one working with records etc.
- Finnish: virkailija — one working with records etc.
- French: greffier — one working with records etc.
- French: greffière — one working with records etc.
- Galician: segredario — one working with records etc.
- Galician: escribán — one working with records etc.
- Galician: escrebente — one working with records etc.
- Galician: tinelista — one working with records etc.
- Galician: carteleiro — one working with records etc.
- Georgian: კლერკი (ḳlerḳi) — one working with records etc.
- German: Büroangestellte — one working with records etc.
- German: Angestellte — one working with records etc.
- German: Buchhalter — one working with records etc.
- German: Bürokaufmann — one working with records etc.
- German: Bürokauffrau — one working with records etc.
- German: Gerichtsschreiber — one working with records etc.
- German: Schreiber — one working with records etc.
- German: Kontorist — one working with records etc.
- German: Kontoristin — one working with records etc.
- Greek: υπάλληλος (ypállilos) — one working with records etc.
- Ancient Greek: γραμματεύς (grammateús) — one working with records etc.
- Hebrew: פָּקִיד (pakíd) — one working with records etc.
- Hebrew: פקידה (pkida) — one working with records etc.
- Hindi: क्लर्क (klark) — one working with records etc.
- Hindi: बाबू (bābū) — one working with records etc.
- Hindi: मुंशी (muñśī) — one working with records etc.
- Hindi: मुहर्रिर (muharrir) — one working with records etc.
- Hungarian: hivatalnok — one working with records etc.
- Hungarian: irodai dolgozó — one working with records etc.
- Icelandic: skrifstofumaður — one working with records etc.
- Ido: klerko — one working with records etc.
- Indonesian: kerani — one working with records etc.
- Indonesian: klerek — one working with records etc.
- Indonesian: panitera — one working with records etc.
- Irish: cléireach — one working with records etc.
- Italian: impiegato — one working with records etc.
- Italian: impiegata — one working with records etc.
- Japanese: 事務員 (jimuin) — one working with records etc.
- Japanese: 店員 (ten'in) — one working with records etc.
- Japanese: 書記 (shoki) — one working with records etc.
- Kazakh: клерк (klerk) — one working with records etc.
- Kazakh: қызметкер (qyzmetker) — one working with records etc.
- Khmer: ស្មេរ (smee) — one working with records etc.
- Khmer: ស្មៀន (smiən) — one working with records etc.
- Korean: 사무원 (samuwon) — one working with records etc.
- Korean: 서기 (seogi) — one working with records etc.
- Korean: 점원 (jeomwon) — one working with records etc.
- Kyrgyz: клерк (klerk) — one working with records etc.
- Kyrgyz: кызматчы (kızmatcı) — one working with records etc.
- Lao: ສະຫມຽນ (sa mīan) — one working with records etc.
- Lao: ພະນັກງານ (pha nak ngān) — one working with records etc.
- Latin: scrība — one working with records etc.
- Latvian: ierēdnis — one working with records etc.
- Latvian: ierēdne — one working with records etc.
- Lithuanian: tarnautojas — one working with records etc.
- Lithuanian: tarnautoja — one working with records etc.
- Luo: karan — one working with records etc.
- Macedonian: слу́жбеник (slúžbenik) — one working with records etc.
- Macedonian: службеничка (službenička) — one working with records etc.
- Macedonian: чи́новник (čínovnik) — one working with records etc.
- Macedonian: чиновничка (činovnička) — one working with records etc.
- Macedonian: писар (pisar) — one working with records etc.
- Malay: kerani — one working with records etc.
- Manchu: ᠪᡳᡨᡥᡝᠰᡳ (bithesi) — one working with records etc.
- Māori: karaka — one working with records etc.
- Mongolian: ᠪᠢᠴᠢᠭᠡᠴᠢ (bičigeči) — one working with records etc.
- Mongolian: бичээч (bičeeč) — one working with records etc.
- Navajo: naaltsoos ííłʼíní — one working with records etc.
- Norman: clèrc — one working with records etc.
- Norman: clèrcot — one working with records etc.
- Norwegian Bokmål: kontorist — one working with records etc.
- Norwegian Bokmål: ekspeditør — one working with records etc.
- Iranian Persian: مُنْشی (monši) — one working with records etc.
- Iranian Persian: سِکْرِتِر (sekreter) — one working with records etc.
- Iranian Persian: کارْمَنْد (kârmand) — one working with records etc.
- Iranian Persian: کاتِب (kâteb) — one working with records etc.
- Polish: urzędnik — one working with records etc.
- Polish: urzędniczka — one working with records etc.
- Portuguese: escriturário — one working with records etc.
- Portuguese: escrevente — one working with records etc.
- Portuguese: secretário — one working with records etc.
- Portuguese: empregado de escritório — one working with records etc.
- Romanian: secretar — one working with records etc.
- Romanian: birocrat — one working with records etc.
- Romanian: funcționar — one working with records etc.
- Russian: клерк (klerk) — one working with records etc.
- Russian: чино́вник (činóvnik) — one working with records etc.
- Russian: чино́вница (činóvnica) — one working with records etc.
- Russian: слу́жащий (slúžaščij) — one working with records etc.
- Russian: слу́жащая (slúžaščaja) — one working with records etc.
- Russian: делопроизводи́тель (deloproizvodítelʹ) — one working with records etc.
- Russian: делопроизводи́тельница (deloproizvodítelʹnica) — one working with records etc.
- Scottish Gaelic: clèireach — one working with records etc.
- Serbo-Croatian: činovnik — one working with records etc.
- Serbo-Croatian: činovnica — one working with records etc.
- Serbo-Croatian: pisar — one working with records etc.
- Serbo-Croatian: beležnik — one working with records etc.
- Serbo-Croatian: pisarica — one working with records etc.
- Serbo-Croatian: beležnica — one working with records etc.
- Serbo-Croatian: bilježnik — one working with records etc.
- Serbo-Croatian: bilježnica — one working with records etc.
- Slovak: úradník — one working with records etc.
- Slovak: úradníčka — one working with records etc.
- Slovene: uradnik — one working with records etc.
- Slovene: uradnica — one working with records etc.
- Slovene: pisarniški uslužbenec — one working with records etc.
- Slovene: pisarniška uslužbenka — one working with records etc.
- Sotho: tlelereke — one working with records etc.
- Spanish: auxiliar administrativo — one working with records etc.
- Swahili: karani — one working with records etc.
- Swedish: tjänsteman — one working with records etc.
- Tajik: котиб (kotib) — one working with records etc.
- Tajik: хизматчӣ (xizmatči) — one working with records etc.
- Tajik: корманд (kormand) — one working with records etc.
- Thai: เสมียน (sà-mǐian) — one working with records etc.
- Thai: พนักงาน (pá-nák-ngaan) — one working with records etc.
- Turkish: yazman — one working with records etc.
- Turkish: kâtip — one working with records etc.
- Ukrainian: клерк (klerk) — one working with records etc.
- Ukrainian: службо́вець (službóvecʹ) — one working with records etc.
- Ukrainian: службо́вка (službóvka) — one working with records etc.
- Urdu: بابُو (bābū) — one working with records etc.
- Urdu: مُحَرِّر (muharrir) — one working with records etc.
- Urdu: مُنْشی (munśī) — one working with records etc.
- Urdu: کِلَرْک (kilark) — one working with records etc.
- Urdu: کاتِب (kātib) — one working with records etc.
- Uzbek: klerk — one working with records etc.
- Uzbek: xizmatchi — one working with records etc.
- Vietnamese: nhân viên văn phòng — one working with records etc.
- Vietnamese: nhân viên văn thư — one working with records etc.
- Vietnamese: người thư kí — one working with records etc.
- Walloon: comis — one working with records etc.
- Spanish: encargado — an employee at a hotel who deals with guests
- Spanish: tendero — an employee at a hotel who deals with guests
Real reading context