Meanings
jerky1
comparative jerkier · superlative jerkiest
- colloquialdatedAnxious; jumpy.
1 more example
Marrabel found an ideal crevice for his loot: tight, hidden, accessible. […] His only desire was to recover the coin and get away. But the lady seemed set here, and Marrabel, ignorant of her intentions, made his first bad move. He claimed the chair, fully expecting to be given it at once. […] In strictly feminine terms she told him to go to the devil, and Marrabel, now beginning to feel jerky, veered off.
1927, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados Mysteries
jerky2
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveCharacterized by physical jerking, or by sudden and uneven progress.
verbTo cure and preserve (meat) by drying it, making jerky.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivelacking a steady rhythm
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
jerky · noun, verb
- Quechuacharki
- Spanishcharqui
- Englishjerky
Borrowed from Spanish charqui, from Quechua charki.
More words from Spanish, Quechua
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans biltong
- biltongLean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
Ancient Greek τάριχος
- τάριχος (tárikhos)Lean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
Arabic قَدِيد
- قَدِيد (qadīd)Lean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
Bulgarian рязък, внезапен
- рязък (rjazăk)characterized by physical jerking
- внезапен (vnezapen)characterized by physical jerking
- пастърма (pastărma)Lean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
Chinese Cantonese 肉乾 /肉干
- 肉乾 /肉干 (juk⁶ gon¹)Lean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
Chinese Mandarin 肉乾 /肉干
- 肉乾 /肉干 (ròugān)Lean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
Czech trhavý
- trhavýcharacterized by physical jerking
Finnish kuivaliha
- kuivalihaLean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
French saccadée, saccadé
- saccadéecharacterized by physical jerking
- saccadécharacterized by physical jerking
- charquiLean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
- jerkyLean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
German zuckend, Trockenfleisch
- zuckendcharacterized by physical jerking
- TrockenfleischLean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
- DörrfleischLean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
Italian accidentato
- accidentatocharacterized by physical jerking
Japanese ジャーキー
- ジャーキー (jākī)Lean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
Korean 저키, 육포
- 저키 (jeoki)Lean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
- 육포 (yukpo)Lean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
Latin salsāmen
- salsāmenLean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
Polish rwący, nerwowy
- rwącycharacterized by physical jerking
- nerwowycharacterized by physical jerking
- jerkyLean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
Portuguese charque
- charqueLean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
Russian тря́ский, отры́вистый
- тря́ский (trjáskij)characterized by physical jerking
- отры́вистый (otrývistyj)characterized by physical jerking
- вя́леное мя́со (vjálenoje mjáso)Lean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
- дже́рки (džérki)Lean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
Spanish charqui, cábano
- charquiLean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
- cábanoLean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
- charqueLean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
- cecinaLean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
- chacinaLean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
- tasajoLean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
Tagalog lukba
- lukbaLean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
Turkish pastırma, kuru et
- pastırmaLean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
- kuru etLean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
Yiddish דאַרפֿלייש
- דאַרפֿלייש (darfleysh)Lean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with jerky
All rhymes →Cite this entry
jerky. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jerky
“jerky.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jerky. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “jerky,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jerky.
Source: jerky on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.