clerk en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /klɑːk/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (General-American) audio
- /klɜːk/ (Australia)
- /klɝk/ (General-American)
- /klɐːk/ (Australia)
- klerk (General-American)
Etymology
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)).
Meanings
-
One who occupationally provides assistance by working with records, accounts, letters, etc.; an office worker.
As office boy I made such a mark That they gave me the post of a junior clerk.
1879, W[illiam] S[chwenck] Gilbert, Arthur Sullivan, composer, “When I Was a Lad”, in H.M.S. Pinafore; […], San Francisco: Bacon & Company, […], →OCLC, page 10:Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between; his clerks, however, understood him very well.
1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC:clerks; a brand of humanity which, as the literature from Dickens to Gogol makes only too clear, was hardly to be envied except perhaps for the privilege of public service, the security which allowed them to starve at an even rhythm all their lives.
1962, Eric Hobsbawm, The Age of Revolution. 1789-1848, page 193:
- 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.
- One who occupationally provides assistance by working with records, accounts, letters, etc.; an office worker. ▸ A law clerk.
- One who occupationally provides assistance by working with records, accounts, letters, etc.; an office worker. ▸ An employee at a hotel who deals with guests.
- 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.
- (Quakerism) A facilitator of a Quaker meeting for business affairs.
-
(archaic) 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).
God save the King! Will no man say, amen? / Am I both priest and clerk? Well then, amen.
1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act 4, scene 1]:
- (dated) 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).
-
(obsolete) A scholar.
13th century, Traditional carol, And all was for an appel, an appel that he toke/As clerkès finden written in their boke.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| clerks | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| clark | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic |
Deriveds
clerkism · parish clerk · lawclerk · clerkless · lay clerk · clerk of the pipe · overclerk · courtesy clerk · clerkess · clerkship · academical clerk · subclerk · town clerk · clerk of the works · clerk-ale · check clerk · filing clerk · sales clerk · clerk of the pells · barber's clerk · clerkdom · recording clerk · vestry clerk · Saint Nicholas' clerk · clerk of works · clerk of the course · clerkage · pox doctor's clerk · articled clerk · clerkly · clerkhood · clerkery · sheriff clerk · death clerk · clerklike · articling clerk · mail clerk · clerky · clerkling · clerkish · law clerk · underclerk
Relateds
clergyman · clerical · cleric · clergy
Synonyms
registrar · register · secretary · scribe
Translations (175)
be клерк (one working with records etc.) · ro birocrat (one working with records etc.) · az katib (one working with records etc.) · de Gerichtsschreiber (one working with records etc.) · it impiegata (one working with records etc.) · fi virkailija (one working with records etc.) · ny kalaliki (one working with records etc.) · hi बाबू (one working with records etc.) · be слу́жачая (one working with records etc.) · ar مُوَظَّفَة (one working with records etc.) · pl urzędnik (one working with records etc.) · gl segredario (one working with records etc.) · ka კლერკი (one working with records etc.) · ur مُحَرِّر (one working with records etc.) · nb ekspeditør (one working with records etc.) · hi मुंशी (one working with records etc.) · ko 사무원 (one working with records etc.) · nv naaltsoos ííłʼíní (one working with records etc.) · da kontorfunktionær (one working with records etc.) · ur کاتِب (one working with records etc.) · lo ພະນັກງານ (one working with records etc.) · uz xizmatchi (one working with records etc.) · el υπάλληλος (one working with records etc.) · ro funcționar (one working with records etc.) · sh činovnik (one working with records etc.) · fa-ira سِکْرِتِر (one working with records etc.) · sh pisar (one working with records etc.) · ko 서기 (one working with records etc.) · sl pisarniška uslužbenka (one working with records etc.) · tg хизматчӣ (one working with records etc.) · es auxiliar administrativo (one working with records etc.) · mk чиновничка (one working with records etc.) · es encargado (an employee at a hotel who deals with guests) · id klerek (one working with records etc.) · sh bilježnica (one working with records etc.) · sk úradník (one working with records etc.) · sl uradnica (one working with records etc.) · de Buchhalter (one working with records etc.) · ro secretar (one working with records etc.) · ru слу́жащий (one working with records etc.) · bg чино́вник (one working with records etc.) · io klerko (one working with records etc.) · es tendero (an employee at a hotel who deals with guests) · cs úředník (one working with records etc.) · hy կլերկ (one working with records etc.) · ur بابُو (one working with records etc.) · sl uradnik (one working with records etc.) · km ស្មេរ (one working with records etc.) · he פקידה (one working with records etc.) · grc γραμματεύς (one working with records etc.) · ko 점원 (one working with records etc.) · mn бичээч (one working with records etc.) · mnc ᠪᡳᡨᡥᡝᠰᡳ (one working with records etc.) · de Bürokaufmann (one working with records etc.) · be службо́вец (one working with records etc.) · nl klerk (one working with records etc.) · my စာရေး (one working with records etc.) · lt tarnautoja (one working with records etc.) · cs úřednice (one working with records etc.) · gl escrebente (one working with records etc.) · hi क्लर्क (one working with records etc.) · da ekspeditrice (one working with records etc.) · pt escrevente (one working with records etc.) · be службо́ўка (one working with records etc.) · da ekspedient (one working with records etc.) · lo ສະໝຽນ (one working with records etc.) · mk чи́новник (one working with records etc.) · ky кызматчы (one working with records etc.) · ky клерк (one working with records etc.) · pt secretário (one working with records etc.) · uz klerk (one working with records etc.) · kk қызметкер (one working with records etc.) · bg чино́вница (one working with records etc.) · mk слу́жбеник (one working with records etc.) · nl bediende (one working with records etc.) · kk клерк (one working with records etc.) · st tlelereke (one working with records etc.) · mi karaka (one working with records etc.) · ja 書記 (one working with records etc.) · nb kontorist (one working with records etc.) · hi मुहर्रिर (one working with records etc.) · de Bürokauffrau (one working with records etc.) · gd clèireach (one working with records etc.) · th พนักงาน (one working with records etc.) · ur مُنْشی (one working with records etc.) · ru слу́жащая (one working with records etc.) · lt tarnautojas (one working with records etc.) · cmn 書記 /书记 (one working with records etc.) · mn ᠪᠢᠴᠢᠭᠡᠴᠢ (one working with records etc.) · uk службо́вець (one working with records etc.) · gl crego (cleric or clergyman) · de Kontoristin (one working with records etc.) · ca oficinista (one working with records etc.) · tg котиб (one working with records etc.) · ms kerani (one working with records etc.) · es clérigo (cleric or clergyman) · ca clergue (cleric or clergyman) · sh bilježnik (one working with records etc.) · is skrifstofumaður (one working with records etc.) · sq shkrues (one working with records etc.) · tr kâtip (one working with records etc.) · th เสมียน (one working with records etc.) · ja 店員 (one working with records etc.) · de Büroangestellte (one working with records etc.) · uk клерк (one working with records etc.) · fa-ira کاتِب (one working with records etc.) · vi nhân viên văn phòng (one working with records etc.) · hy գրագիր (one working with records etc.) · fr greffier (one working with records etc.) · vi nhân viên văn thư (one working with records etc.) · it impiegato (one working with records etc.) · he פָּקִיד (one working with records etc.) · sh pisarica (one working with records etc.) · sh beležnik (one working with records etc.) · lv ierēdne (one working with records etc.) · km ស្មៀន (one working with records etc.) · da kontorassistent (one working with records etc.) · gl tinelista (one working with records etc.) · hu hivatalnok (one working with records etc.) · nrf clèrc (one working with records etc.) · ru делопроизводи́тель (one working with records etc.) · sh činovnica (one working with records etc.) · sw karani (one working with records etc.) · et äriteenija (one working with records etc.) · ja 事務員 (one working with records etc.) · sh beležnica (one working with records etc.) · gl escribán (one working with records etc.) · et kontoriametnik (one working with records etc.) · bg чино́вничка (one working with records etc.) · eo komizo (one working with records etc.) · tr yazman (one working with records etc.) · fa-ira کارْمَنْد (one working with records etc.) · sl pisarniški uslužbenec (one working with records etc.) · pt empregado de escritório (one working with records etc.) · af klerk (one working with records etc.) · eo oficisto (one working with records etc.) · eo aktisto (one working with records etc.) · ru чино́вница (one working with records etc.) · sv tjänsteman (one working with records etc.) · be слу́жачы (one working with records etc.) · cmn 文員 /文员 (one working with records etc.) · de Angestellte (one working with records etc.) · fr greffière (one working with records etc.) · ce йохкархо (one working with records etc.) · cmn 營業員 /营业员 (one working with records etc.) · de Kontorist (one working with records etc.) · de Schreiber (one working with records etc.) · mk писар (one working with records etc.) · ru чино́вник (one working with records etc.) · nrf clèrcot (one working with records etc.) · luo karan (one working with records etc.) · fa-ira مُنْشی (one working with records etc.) · cmn 店員 /店员 (one working with records etc.) · ur کِلَرْک (one working with records etc.) · lv ierēdnis (one working with records etc.) · id kerani (one working with records etc.) · ga cléireach (one working with records etc.) · ru клерк (one working with records etc.) · id panitera (one working with records etc.) · gl carteleiro (one working with records etc.) · hy գրասենյակային ծառայող (one working with records etc.) · sk úradníčka (one working with records etc.) · tg корманд (one working with records etc.) · fi konttoristi (one working with records etc.) · ar مُوَظَّف (one working with records etc.) · wa comis (one working with records etc.) · uk службо́вка (one working with records etc.) · la scrība (one working with records etc.) · pt escriturário (one working with records etc.) · hu irodai dolgozó (one working with records etc.) · pt clérigo (cleric or clergyman) · mk службеничка (one working with records etc.) · ru делопроизводи́тельница (one working with records etc.) · pl urzędniczka (one working with records etc.) · vi người thư kí (one working with records etc.)