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Added 9 October 2026

clerk

/klɑːk/ noun

In Latin: scrība Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about clerk at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

An employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts).
A salesperson in a store.

verb

Work as a clerk, as in the legal business.

Origin

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)).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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