junk

junk · noun, verb¹

1. Middle English · inherited fromjunk
2. English todayjunk

From earlier meaning "old refuse from boats and ships", from Middle English junk, jounke, jonk, joynk (“an old cable or rope”, nautical term), sometimes cut into bits and used as caulking; of uncertain origin; perhaps related to join, joint, juncture. Often compared to Middle English junk, jonk, jonke, junck (“a rush; basket made of rushes”), from Old French jonc, from Latin iuncus (“rush, reed”); however, the Oxford English Dictionary finds "no evidence of connexion".

junk · noun²

1. Proto-Mon-Khmer · derived from*d₂luuŋ ~ *d₂luŋ ~ *d₂luəŋ ~ *d₂ləŋ“boat”
2. Old Javanese · derived fromjoṅ“seagoing ship”
3. Javanese · derived fromꦗꦺꦴꦁ
4. Malay · derived fromjong
5. Arabic · derived fromجُنْك
6. Dutch · borrowed fromjonk
7. Portuguese · borrowed fromjunco
8. English todayjunk

From Portuguese junco with reinforcement from Dutch jonk, from Arabic جُنْك (junk), from Malay jong, جوڠ, from Javanese ꦗꦺꦴꦁ (jong), from Old Javanese joṅ (“seagoing ship”), probably from Proto-Mon-Khmer *d₂luuŋ ~ *d₂luŋ ~ *d₂luəŋ ~ *d₂ləŋ (“boat”). Doublet of djong.

Junk · proper noun³

South German surname, spelling variant of Jung.

Words from the same roots