ilk

English

Alternative forms

• ilke

Etymology

From Middle English ilke, from Old English ilca, conjectured as from Proto-Germanic *ilīkaz, a compound of *iz and *-līkaz from the noun *līką (“body”). Akin to Dutch lichaam, or lijk, body, dead body.

The sense of “type”, “kind” is from the application of the phrase ‘of that ilk’ to families: the word thus came to mean ‘family’.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪlk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪlk

Adjective

ilk (not comparable)

1. (Scotland and Northern England) Very; same.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. , London: [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     By semblaunt, was that ilke image

Usage notes

Used following a person’s name to show that he lives in a place of the same name, eg Johnstone of that ilk means Johnstone of Johnstone.

Noun

ilk (plural ilks)

1. A type, race or category; a group of entities that have common characteristics such that they may be grouped together.
   • 1905, Upton Sinclair, chapter XXV, in The Jungle, New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 26 February 1906, →OCLC:

     "Hinkydink” or “Bathhouse John,” or others of that ilk, were proprietors of the most notorious dives in Chicago […]

   • 1931, Ogden Nash, The Cow:

     The cow is of the bovine ilk;
     One end is moo, the other, milk.

   • 2016 February 23, Robbie Collin, “Grimsby review: ' Sacha Baron Cohen's vital, venomous action movie'”, in The Daily Telegraph (London):

     On the surface, the film is a globe-trotting gross-out caper in which Nobby, who's from a hellish version of the titular Lincolnshire town ("twinned with Chernobyl"), is reunited with his long-lost brother Sebastian (Mark Strong), who has become a spy for the British secret services. That makes him a servant of the powers-that-be that have no time for Nobby and his scrounging ilk.

Usage notes

• In modern use, ilk is used in phrases such as of his ilk, of that ilk, to mean ‘type’ or ‘sort.’ It often – though not necessarily – has negative connotations. The use arose out of a misunderstanding of the earlier, Scottish use in the phrase of that ilk, in which it means ‘of the same name or place.’ For this reason, some traditionalists regard the modern use as incorrect. It is, however, the only common current use and is now part of standard English.

Synonyms

• kind
• likes
• sort
• type

Derived terms

• of that ilk
• thilk

Translations

References

• “ilk” in The New Oxford American Dictionary, Second Edition, Oxford University Press, 2005
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “ilk”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

• Kil

Azerbaijani

Etymology

From Proto-Turkic *il(i)k (“before; early; first”). Cognate with Old Turkic 𐰃𐰠𐰚 (ilk, “first”), Karakhanid اِلْكْ (ilk, “first, firstly”), Turkish ilk, Chuvash ӗлӗк (ĕlĕk, “before, in old times; ago”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

ilk (comparative daha ilk, superlative ən ilk)

1. first

   ilk sevgi/məhəbbət ― first love

Noun

ilk (definite accusative ilki, plural ilklər)

1. firstborn, firstling

Declension

Middle English

Determiner

ilk

1. (Northern) Alternative form of ech

Pronoun

ilk

1. (Northern) Alternative form of ech

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

ilk m (definite singular ilken, indefinite plural ilkar, definite plural ilkane)

1. alternative form of ilke

Scots

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪlk/

Etymology 1

From the Old English īlca, from Proto-Germanic *ilīkaz, a compound of *iz and *-līkaz from the noun *līką (“body”).

Cognate to English ilk.

Adjective

ilk (not comparable)

1. The same.

Usage notes

• Used following a person’s name to show that he lives in a place of the same name, eg Johnstone of that ilk means Johnstone of Johnstone.

Etymology 2

From Middle English ilk, from Old English ġehwylc (“each, every”), equivalent to y- +‎ which. Merged with Northern Old English ylc (“each”). More at each. (compare the Dutch elk - each).

Determiner

ilk

1. (archaic, of two or more) each; every
   • 1786, Robert Burns, A Winter Night:

     Ilk happing bird, - wee, helpless thing!

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Synonyms

• ilka

Turkish

Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish الك (ilk, “first, firstly, in the first place”), from Proto-Turkic *il(i)k (“first”). Cognate with Old Turkic 𐰃𐰠𐰚 (ilk, “first”), Karakhanid اِلْكْ (ilk, “first, firstly”), Bashkir элек (elek, “before, earlier, ago”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ilc/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

ilk

1. first

   Synonyms: birinci, baştaki

   Antonym: son

2. pristine (pertaining to the earliest state of something)

Adverb

ilk

1. first, firstly

   Synonyms: önce, ilkin