Jerky
/ˈdʒɜːr.ki/noun
Moving or happening with sudden stops and starts; also, dried meat preserved by cutting into strips and drying.
Did you know?The meat sense of jerky comes from the Quechua word ch'arki, while the motion sense comes from a separate English root tied to abrupt, jagged movement — two unrelated histories fused into one modern word.
Etymological Timeline
17th Century
English
jerk
“To move with a sudden sharp motion; a quick tug or twist.”
18th Century
English
jerky
“Characterized by abrupt, uneven movement.”
16th Century
Spanish
charqui
“Dried, preserved meat.”
Pre-Columbian
Quechua
ch'arki
“Dried meat, especially strips of preserved llama or alpaca meat.”
19th Century
English
jerky
“Dried meat, especially beef cut into strips and preserved by drying.”