erk

E1R1K5

noun

A member of the groundcrew in the RAF.

Less commonScrabble 7
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Meanings

erk1

nounerk (plural erks)

plural erks

  1. UKslangA member of the groundcrew in the RAF.

    But I wasn’t accepted for flying duty—eyesight failed me. Neither was Frank, which, I’m ashamed to say, I found a relief. We were both channelled as aircrafthands, known to everyone as erks.

    2004, Andrea Levy, chapter 9, in Small Island, London: Review, page 345

erk2

interjection
  1. colloquialAn expression of trepidation; eek.
  2. AustraliacolloquialAn expression of revulsion or disgust; yuck.

    ‘Gawd, erk!’ She recoiled and turned away.

    1959, D'Arcy Niland, The Big Smoke, page 43
    1 more example

    ‘Erk! What’s that big ugly growth you’ve got?’

    1995, Paul Vautin, Turn It Up!, page 29

ERK3

nounERK (countable and uncountable, plural ERKs)

plural ERKs

  1. abbreviationcountableuncountableAbbreviation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase.

Origin

Claimed to be a respelling of the abbreviation airc for aircraftsman; or else from irk.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with erk

workclerkburkekirkdirkcirqueBourkecircreworkmercpercquirksmirkperkberserkburklurkshirkHercmerkirkbirkoverworkmurk
All rhymes →

Anagrams

ker
Cite this entry
APA

erk. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/erk

MLA

“erk.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/erk. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “erk,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/erk.

Source: erk on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.