Ilk
/ɪlk/noun
A kind, sort, or class; especially in the phrase “of that ilk.”
Did you know?In older Scottish usage, “of that ilk” originally meant “of the same place or name,” not “that sort of person,” and later narrowed into a social label.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sel-
“To be the same or similar.”
Old English
OE
ilca
“The same; identical.”
Old Norse
ON
illr
“Bad, evil, unfortunate.”
Middle English
English
ilk
“The same; a kind or sort.”
Modern English
English
ilk
“A kind, sort, or class, especially in set phrases.”