ilk
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Ilk
Alternative forms
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English ilke, from Old English ilca, conjectured as from Proto-Germanic *ilīkaz, a compound of *iz and *-līkaz from the noun *līką (“body”).
The sense of “type”, “kind” is from the application of the phrase of that ilk to families: the word thus came to mean family.
Pronunciation
Adjective
ilk (not comparable)
- (Scotland and Northern England) Very; same.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
- By semblaunt, was that ilke image
Usage notes
Used following a person’s name to show that he lives in a place of the same name, eg Johnstone of that ilk means Johnstone of Johnstone.
Noun
ilk (plural ilks)
- A type, race or category; a group of entities that have common characteristics such that they may be grouped together.
- 1905 April–October, Upton Sinclair, chapter XXV, in The Jungle, New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1906 February 26, →OCLC:
- "Hinkydink” or “Bathhouse John,” or others of that ilk, were proprietors of the most notorious dives in Chicago […]
- 1931, Ogden Nash, The Cow:
- The cow is of the bovine ilk;
One end is moo, the other, milk.
- 2016 February 23, Robbie Collin, “Grimsby review: ' Sacha Baron Cohen's vital, venomous action movie'”, in The Daily Telegraph (London):
- On the surface, the film is a globe-trotting gross-out caper in which Nobby, who's from a hellish version of the titular Lincolnshire town ("twinned with Chernobyl"), is reunited with his long-lost brother Sebastian (Mark Strong), who has become a spy for the British secret services. That makes him a servant of the powers-that-be that have no time for Nobby and his scrounging ilk.
Usage notes
- In modern use, ilk is used in phrases such as of his ilk, of that ilk, to mean ‘type’ or ‘sort.’ It often – though not necessarily – has negative connotations. The use arose out of a misunderstanding of the earlier, Scottish use in the phrase of that ilk, in which it means ‘of the same name or place.’ For this reason, some traditionalists regard the modern use as incorrect. It is, however, the only common current use.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
References
- “ilk” in The New Oxford American Dictionary, Second Edition, Oxford University Press, 2005
- Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “ilk”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Anagrams
Etymology
From Proto-Turkic *il(i)k (“before; early; first”). Cognate with Old Turkic 𐰃𐰠𐰚 (ilk, “first”), Karakhanid اِلْكْ (ilk, “first, firstly”), Turkish ilk, Chuvash ӗлӗк (ĕlĕk, “before, in old times; ago”).
Pronunciation
Adjective
Noun
ilk (definite accusative ilki, plural ilklər)
Declension
| Possessive forms of ilk | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | ||||||||
| singular | plural | |||||||
| mənim (“my”) | ilkim | ilklərim | ||||||
| sənin (“your”) | ilkin | ilklərin | ||||||
| onun (“his/her/its”) | ilki | ilkləri | ||||||
| bizim (“our”) | ilkimiz | ilklərimiz | ||||||
| sizin (“your”) | ilkiniz | ilkləriniz | ||||||
| onların (“their”) | ilki or ilkləri | ilkləri | ||||||
| accusative | ||||||||
| singular | plural | |||||||
| mənim (“my”) | ilkimi | ilklərimi | ||||||
| sənin (“your”) | ilkini | ilklərini | ||||||
| onun (“his/her/its”) | ilkini | ilklərini | ||||||
| bizim (“our”) | ilkimizi | ilklərimizi | ||||||
| sizin (“your”) | ilkinizi | ilklərinizi | ||||||
| onların (“their”) | ilkini or ilklərini | ilklərini | ||||||
| dative | ||||||||
| singular | plural | |||||||
| mənim (“my”) | ilkimə | ilklərimə | ||||||
| sənin (“your”) | ilkinə | ilklərinə | ||||||
| onun (“his/her/its”) | ilkinə | ilklərinə | ||||||
| bizim (“our”) | ilkimizə | ilklərimizə | ||||||
| sizin (“your”) | ilkinizə | ilklərinizə | ||||||
| onların (“their”) | ilkinə or ilklərinə | ilklərinə | ||||||
| locative | ||||||||
| singular | plural | |||||||
| mənim (“my”) | ilkimdə | ilklərimdə | ||||||
| sənin (“your”) | ilkində | ilklərində | ||||||
| onun (“his/her/its”) | ilkində | ilklərində | ||||||
| bizim (“our”) | ilkimizdə | ilklərimizdə | ||||||
| sizin (“your”) | ilkinizdə | ilklərinizdə | ||||||
| onların (“their”) | ilkində or ilklərində | ilklərində | ||||||
| ablative | ||||||||
| singular | plural | |||||||
| mənim (“my”) | ilkimdən | ilklərimdən | ||||||
| sənin (“your”) | ilkindən | ilklərindən | ||||||
| onun (“his/her/its”) | ilkindən | ilklərindən | ||||||
| bizim (“our”) | ilkimizdən | ilklərimizdən | ||||||
| sizin (“your”) | ilkinizdən | ilklərinizdən | ||||||
| onların (“their”) | ilkindən or ilklərindən | ilklərindən | ||||||
| genitive | ||||||||
| singular | plural | |||||||
| mənim (“my”) | ilkimin | ilklərimin | ||||||
| sənin (“your”) | ilkinin | ilklərinin | ||||||
| onun (“his/her/its”) | ilkinin | ilklərinin | ||||||
| bizim (“our”) | ilkimizin | ilklərimizin | ||||||
| sizin (“your”) | ilkinizin | ilklərinizin | ||||||
| onların (“their”) | ilkinin or ilklərinin | ilklərinin | ||||||
Determiner
ilk
- (Northern) Alternative form of ech
Pronoun
ilk
- (Northern) Alternative form of ech
Noun
ilk m (definite singular ilken, indefinite plural ilkar, definite plural ilkane)
- alternative form of ilke
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From the Old English īlca, from Proto-Germanic *ilīkaz, a compound of *iz and *-līkaz from the noun *līką (“body”).
Adjective
ilk (not comparable)
- The same.
Usage notes
- Used following a person’s name to show that he lives in a place of the same name, eg Johnstone of that ilk means Johnstone of Johnstone.
Etymology 2
From Middle English ilk, from Old English ġehwylc (“each, every”), equivalent to y- + which. Merged with Northern Old English ylc (“each”). More at each. (compare the Dutch elk - each).
Determiner
ilk
- (archaic, of two or more) each; every
- 1786, Robert Burns, A Winter Night:
- Ilk happing bird, - wee, helpless thing!
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Synonyms
Etymology
Inherited from Ottoman Turkish الك (ilk, “first, firstly, in the first place”), from Proto-Turkic *il(i)k (“first”). Cognate of Old Turkic 𐰃𐰠𐰚 (ilk, “first”), Karakhanid اِلْكْ (ilk, “first, firstly”), and Bashkir элек (elek, “before, earlier, ago”).
Pronunciation
Adjective
ilk
Usage notes
Adverb
ilk
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