CLERK

clerk

(noun) an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)

salesclerk, shop clerk, clerk, shop assistant

(noun) a salesperson in a store

clerk

(verb) work as a clerk, as in the legal business

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

clerk (plural clerks)

One who occupationally works with records, accounts, letters, etc.; an office worker.

(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).

(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.

Verb

clerk (third-person singular simple present clerks, present participle clerking, simple past and past participle clerked)

To act as a clerk, to perform the duties or functions of a clerk

Etymology

Proper noun

Clerk (plural Clerks)

A surname.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Clerk is the 22944th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 1115 individuals. Clerk is most common among White (52.74%) and Black/African American (38.83%) individuals.

Source: Wiktionary


Clerk (; in Eng. ; 277), n. Etym: [Either OF. clerc, fr. L. clericus a priest, or AS. clerc, cleric, clerk, priest, fr. L. clericus, fr. Gr. Clergy.]

1. A clergyman or ecclesiastic. [Obs.] All persons were styled clerks that served in the church of Christ. Ayliffe.

2. A man who could read; a scholar; a learned person; a man of letters. [Obs.] "Every one that could read . . . being accounted a clerk." Blackstone. He was no great clerk, but he was perfectly well versed in the interests of Europe. Burke.

3. A parish officer, being a layman who leads in reading the responses of the Episcopal church service, and otherwise assists in it. [Eng.] Hook. And like unlettered clerk still cry "Amen". Shak.

4. One employed to keep records or accounts; a scribe; an accountant; as, the clerk of a court; a town clerk. The clerk of the crown . . . withdrew the bill. Strype.

Note: In some cases, clerk is synonymous with secretary. A clerk is always an officer subordinate to a higher officer, board, corporation, or person; whereas a secretary may be either a subordinate or the head of an office or department.

5. An assistant in a shop or store. [U. S.]

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

2 April 2025

COVERT

(adjective) secret or hidden; not openly practiced or engaged in or shown or avowed; “covert actions by the CIA”; “covert funding for the rebels”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

Coffee starts as a yellow berry, changes into a red berry, and then is picked by hand to harvest. The red berry is de-shelled through a water soaking process and what’s left inside is the green coffee bean. This bean then dries in the sun for 3-5 days, where it is then packed and ready for sale.

coffee icon