punk

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A style of loud, fast, rebellious rock music and its associated subculture from the 1970s.

   He grew up listening to punk and still loves the energy of it.

2. 2
   noun

   A fan of punk music or someone who follows its style.

   The concert was packed with punks in leather jackets and spiked hair.

3. 3
   adj

   Relating to punk rock or its style and subculture.

   She wore a punk outfit with ripped jeans and chains.

4. 4
   noun

   A worthless or contemptible person.

   He's just a small-time punk who thinks he's tough.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Punk originally denoted soft, fungus-damaged wood used as tinder in 17th-century North America. Its ultimate origin is unknown, though it is probably related to spunk. It was also used for a prostitute, a male homosexual, and, in show business, a youth or young animal. In early 20th-century American English it became a disparaging term for a person, especially a young hooligan or petty criminal, before punk rock emerged in the 1970s.

Uncertain. Possibly from punk (“rotten wood dust used as tinder”), attested since 1678, to anything worthless (attested since 1869) and then to any undesirable person (since 1908). The relatively tame 21st century usage of punk (“prank”, verb) was popularized by the American television show Punk'd (2003).

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary