Adjacent Words

Clerk definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CLERK, n.
1. A clergyman, or ecclesiastic; a man in holy orders.
2. A man that can read.
Everyone that could read--being accounted a clerk.
3. A man of letters; a scholar.
The foregoing significations are found in the English laws, and histories of the church; as in the rude ages of the church, learning was chiefly confined to the clergy. In modern usage.
4. A writer; one who is employed in the use of the pen, in an office public or private, for keeping records, and accounts; as the clerk of a court. In some cases clerk is synonymous with secretary; but not always. A clerk is always an officer subordinate to a higher officer, board, corporation or person; whereas, a secretary may be either a subordinate officer, or the head of an office or department.
5. A layman who is the reader of responses in church service.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
2: a salesperson in a store [syn: salesclerk, shop clerk, clerk, shop assistant] v
1: work as a clerk, as in the legal business

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French clerk & Old English cleric, clerc, both from Late Latin clericus, from Late Greek kl?rikos, from Greek kl?ros lot, inheritance (in allusion to Deuteronomy
18:2), stick of wood; akin to Greek klan to break — more at clast Date: before 12th century 1. cleric 2. archaic scholar 3. a. an official responsible (as to a government agency) for correspondence, records, and accounts and vested with specified powers or authority (as to issue writs as ordered by a court) <city clerk> b. one employed to keep records or accounts or to perform general office work c. one who works at a sales or service counter • clerkship noun II. intransitive verb Date: 1551 to act or work as a clerk

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a person employed in an office, bank, shop, etc., to keep records, accounts, etc. 2 a secretary, agent, or record-keeper of a local council (town clerk), court, etc. 3 a lay officer of a church (parish clerk), college chapel, etc. 4 a senior official in Parliament. 5 US an assistant in a shop or hotel. 6 archaic a clergyman. --v.intr. work as a clerk. Phrases and idioms: clerk in holy orders formal a clergyman. clerk of the course the judges' secretary etc. in horse or motor racing. clerk of the works (or of works) an overseer of building works etc. Derivatives: clerkdom n. clerkess n. Sc. clerkish adj. clerkly adj. clerkship n. Etymology: OE cleric, clerc, & OF clerc, f. eccl.L clericus CLERIC

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Clerk Clerk (?; in Eng. ?; 277), n. [Either OF. clerc, fr. L. clericus a priest, or AS. clerc, cleric, clerk, priest, fr. L. clericus, fr. Gr. ? belonging to the clergy, fr. ? lot, allotment, clergy; cf. Deut. xviii. 2. Cf. Clergy.] 1. A clergyman or ecclesiastic. [Obs.] All persons were styled clerks that served in the church of Christ. --Ayliffe. 2. A man who could read; a scholar; a learned person; a man of letters. [Obs.] ``Every one that could read . . . being accounted a clerk.'' --Blackstone. He was no great clerk, but he was perfectly well versed in the interests of Europe. --Burke. 3. A parish officer, being a layman who leads in reading the responses of the Episcopal church service, and otherwise assists in it. [Eng.] --Hook. And like unlettered clerk still cry ``Amen''. --Shak. 4. One employed to keep records or accounts; a scribe; an accountant; as, the clerk of a court; a town clerk. The clerk of the crown . . . withdrew the bill. --Strype. Note: In some cases, clerk is synonymous with secretary. A clerk is always an officer subordinate to a higher officer, board, corporation, or person; whereas a secretary may be either a subordinate or the head of an office or department. 5. An assistant in a shop or store. [U. S.]

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(clerks, clerking, clerked) 1. A clerk is a person who works in an office, bank, or law court and whose job is to look after the records or accounts. She was offered a job as an accounts clerk with a travel firm. N-COUNT 2. In a hotel, office, or hospital, a clerk is the person whose job is to answer the telephone and deal with people when they arrive. (mainly AM) ...a hotel clerk. N-COUNT 3. A clerk is someone who works in a store. (AM) = sales clerk N-COUNT 4. To clerk means to work as a clerk. (mainly AM) Gene clerked at the auction... VERB: V

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

See TOWN CLERK.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Recorder, registrar, scribe, secretary. 2. Leader of responses (in the Episcopal service). 3. [U. S.] Assistant (in a place of business), accountant, salesman, saleswoman. 4. [Archaic] Scholar, man of letters, lettered man.

Moby Thesaurus

Bible clerk, Bible reader, CA, CPA, DD, Doctor of Divinity, Federal, Holy Joe, abbe, academician, accountant, accountant general, acolyte, actuary, agent, almoner, amanuensis, anagnost, archivist, auditor, baggage agent, bank accountant, bank examiner, beadle, bedral, bookkeeper, bookman, business agent, calculator, calligrapher, capitular, capitulary, certified public accountant, chaplain, chartered accountant, chirographer, choir chaplain, churchman, churchwarden, claim agent, classicist, clergyman, cleric, clerical, colossus of knowledge, commercial agent, commission agent, comptroller, consignee, controller, copier, copyist, cost accountant, cost keeper, curate, cure, customer agent, deacon, deaconess, divine, documentalist, dupe, ecclesiastic, elder, elderman, engraver, factor, fed, federal agent, filing clerk, floorwalker, freight agent, functionary, general agent, genius, giant of learning, humanist, implement, ink spiller, inkslinger, instrument, insurance agent, journalizer, land agent, law agent, lay elder, lay reader, learned clerk, learned man, lector, lecturer, letterer, librarian, literary agent, literary man, litterateur, loan agent, lover of learning, man of God, man of learning, man of letters, marker, mastermind, military chaplain, mine of information, minister, news agent, notary, notary public, official, padre, parish clerk, parliamentary agent, parson, passenger agent, pastor, pen, pencil driver, penman, penner, philologist, philologue, philomath, philosophe, philosopher, polyhistor, polymath, preacher, precentor, press agent, prothonotary, pundit, puppet, purchasing agent, reader, real estate agent, reckoner, record clerk, recorder, recording secretary, recordist, rector, register, registrar, reverend, ruling elder, sacrist, sacristan, sales agent, sales engineer, sales force, sales manager, sales personnel, salesclerk, salesgirl, saleslady, salesman, salespeople, salesperson, saleswoman, savant, scalper, scholar, scholastic, schoolman, scorekeeper, scorer, scribbler, scribe, scrivener, secretary, seller, selling agent, servant of God, sexton, shames, shepherd, shop assistant, shop clerk, sidesman, sky pilot, special agent, station agent, stenographer, steward, stonecutter, store clerk, student, succentor, suisse, supply clergy, supply minister, teaching elder, the Reverend, the very Reverend, theatrical agent, thurifer, ticket agent, ticket scalper, timekeeper, tonsured cleric, tool, transcriber, travel agent, verger, vergeress, walking delegate, walking encyclopedia, word-slinger, writer