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)
- (Scotland and Northern England) Very; same.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, OCLC 960102938:
- 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)
- 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 1150866071:
- "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, where 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
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References
- “ilk” in The New Oxford American Dictionary, Second Edition, Oxford University Press, 2005
- Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “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): [ilk]
Audio (file)
Adjective
ilk (comparative daha ilk, superlative ən ilk)
- first
- ilk sevgi/məhəbbət ― first love
Noun
ilk (definite accusative ilki, plural ilklər)
- firstborn, firstling
Declension
| Declension of ilk | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| singular | plural | |||||||
| nominative | ilk | ilklər | ||||||
| definite accusative | ilki | ilkləri | ||||||
| dative | ilkə | ilklərə | ||||||
| locative | ilkdə | ilklərdə | ||||||
| ablative | ilkdən | ilklərdən | ||||||
| definite genitive | ilkin | ilklərin | ||||||
| Possessive forms of ilk | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | ||||||||
| singular | plural | |||||||
| mənim (“my”) | ilkim | ilklərim | ||||||
| sənin (“your”) | ilkin | ilklərin | ||||||
| onun (“his/her/its”) | ilki | ilkləri | ||||||
| bizim (“our”) | ilkimiz | ilklərimiz | ||||||
| sizin (“your”) | ilkiniz | ilkləriniz | ||||||
| onların (“their”) | ilki or ilkləri | ilkləri | ||||||
| accusative | ||||||||
| singular | plural | |||||||
| mənim (“my”) | ilkimi | ilklərimi | ||||||
| sənin (“your”) | ilkini | ilklərini | ||||||
| onun (“his/her/its”) | ilkini | ilklərini | ||||||
| bizim (“our”) | ilkimizi | ilklərimizi | ||||||
| sizin (“your”) | ilkinizi | ilklərinizi | ||||||
| onların (“their”) | ilkini or ilklərini | ilklərini | ||||||
| dative | ||||||||
| singular | plural | |||||||
| mənim (“my”) | ilkimə | ilklərimə | ||||||
| sənin (“your”) | ilkinə | ilklərinə | ||||||
| onun (“his/her/its”) | ilkinə | ilklərinə | ||||||
| bizim (“our”) | ilkimizə | ilklərimizə | ||||||
| sizin (“your”) | ilkinizə | ilklərinizə | ||||||
| onların (“their”) | ilkinə or ilklərinə | ilklərinə | ||||||
| locative | ||||||||
| singular | plural | |||||||
| mənim (“my”) | ilkimdə | ilklərimdə | ||||||
| sənin (“your”) | ilkində | ilklərində | ||||||
| onun (“his/her/its”) | ilkində | ilklərində | ||||||
| bizim (“our”) | ilkimizdə | ilklərimizdə | ||||||
| sizin (“your”) | ilkinizdə | ilklərinizdə | ||||||
| onların (“their”) | ilkində or ilklərində | ilklərində | ||||||
| ablative | ||||||||
| singular | plural | |||||||
| mənim (“my”) | ilkimdən | ilklərimdən | ||||||
| sənin (“your”) | ilkindən | ilklərindən | ||||||
| onun (“his/her/its”) | ilkindən | ilklərindən | ||||||
| bizim (“our”) | ilkimizdən | ilklərimizdən | ||||||
| sizin (“your”) | ilkinizdən | ilklərinizdən | ||||||
| onların (“their”) | ilkindən or ilklərindən | ilklərindən | ||||||
| genitive | ||||||||
| singular | plural | |||||||
| mənim (“my”) | ilkimin | ilklərimin | ||||||
| sənin (“your”) | ilkinin | ilklərinin | ||||||
| onun (“his/her/its”) | ilkinin | ilklərinin | ||||||
| bizim (“our”) | ilkimizin | ilklərimizin | ||||||
| sizin (“your”) | ilkinizin | ilklərinizin | ||||||
| onların (“their”) | ilkinin or ilklərinin | ilklərinin | ||||||
Middle English
Determiner
ilk
- (Northern) Alternative form of ech
Pronoun
ilk
- (Northern) Alternative form of ech
Norwegian Nynorsk
Noun
ilk m (definite singular ilken, indefinite plural ilkar, definite plural ilkane)
- 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)
- 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
- (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 quote)
-
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/
Adjective
ilk
- first
- Synonyms: birinci, baştaki
- Antonym: son
- pristine (pertaining to the earliest state of something)
Adverb
ilk
- first, firstly
- Synonyms: önce, ilkin