clerk

A2 Topic:People & Society

US /klɝk/ UK /klɑːk/ See IPA manual

Freq #5058

Meanings

1

noun
A person who works in an office keeping records or accounts.

The clerk assisted me with renewing my license.
2

noun
A person who serves customers in a shop.

The clerk rang up my groceries at the register.
3

verb
To work as a clerk, especially assisting a judge or lawyer.

She clerked for a senior judge after law school.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 noun · a person who serves... salesclerk

More register registrar scribe secretary

Word family

Forms clerkedclerkingclerks

Derived forms clerk-aleclerkageclerkdomclerkeryclerkessclerkhoodclerkishclerkismclerklessclerklikeclerklingclerkly

Related forms clergy clergyman cleric clerical

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

booking clerk
an employee who sells tickets or arranges reservations

Noun + noun

Etymology

From Middle English clerc, from Old English clerc, from Late Latin clēricus (“priest, clergyman, cleric”, also generally “learned man, clerk”), from Ancient Greek κληρικός (klērikós, “of the clergy”, adj. in church jargon), from κλῆρος (klêros, “lot, inheritance”, originally “shard used in casting lots”). Doublet of cleric. Compare typologically Russian дьяк (dʹjak) (akin to дья́кон (dʹjákon)).

*kelh₂- Proto-Indo-European clerc Old English clēricus la-lat κληρικός Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society

External links

# clerk

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /klɝk/
**IPA (UK):** /klɑːk/
**Frequency rank:** 5058

## Meanings
1. A person who works in an office keeping records or accounts.
2. A person who serves customers in a shop.
3. To work as a clerk, especially assisting a judge or lawyer.

## Examples
- The clerk assisted me with renewing my license.
- The clerk rang up my groceries at the register.
- She clerked for a senior judge after law school.

## Synonyms
- register
- registrar
- scribe
- secretary

## Derived Forms
- clerk-ale
- clerkage
- clerkdom
- clerkery
- clerkess
- clerkhood
- clerkish
- clerkism
- clerkless
- clerklike
- clerkling
- clerkly

## Related Forms
- clergy
- clergyman
- cleric
- clerical

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *kelh₂-
- Root: clerc
- Root: clēricus
- Root: κληρικός

## Etymology
From Middle English clerc, from Old English clerc, from Late Latin clēricus (“priest, clergyman, cleric”, also generally “learned man, clerk”), from Ancient Greek κληρικός (klērikós, “of the clergy”, adj. in church jargon), from κλῆρος (klêros, “lot, inheritance”, originally “shard used in casting lots”). Doublet of cleric. Compare typologically Russian дьяк (dʹjak) (akin to дья́кон (dʹjákon)).

## AI Etymology
clerk is a noun and verb. It is from Middle English clerc, from Old English clerc, from Late Latin clēricus (“priest, clergyman, cleric”, also generally “learned man, clerk”), from Ancient Greek κληρικός (klērikós, “of the clergy”, adj. in church jargon), from κλῆρος (klêros, “lot, inheritance”, originally “shard used in casting lots”). Doublet of cleric. Compare typologically Russian дьяк (dʹjak) (akin to дья́кон (dʹjákon)). Historical forms in the chain include *kelh₂- (Proto-Indo-European), clerc (Middle English), clerc (Old English), clēricus (Late Latin), and κληρικός (Ancient Greek). Current senses include a person who works in an office keeping records or accounts, a person who serves customers in a shop, and to work as a clerk, especially assisting a judge or lawyer. Derived forms include clerk-ale, clerkage, clerkdom, clerkery, and clerkess. Related words include clergy, clergyman, cleric, and clerical.

## Topics
- People & Society

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