clerk
clerk
Pronunciation
IPA: /klɜːrk/
Syllable Breakdown:
/klɜːrk/ (one syllable)
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: clerk
Plural Noun: clerks
Verb (base form): clerk
Verb (third-person singular present): clerks
Verb (present participle): clerking
Verb (past tense/past participle): clerked
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: An individual employed in an office or other administrative setting to handle records, maintain files, manage correspondence, and perform general office duties.
Synonyms: administrator, assistant, secretary, office worker, record-keeper
Antonyms: manager (in some contexts, implying a higher-level role), executive
Definition 2: In a retail or customer service environment, a person responsible for assisting customers, handling transactions, and maintaining the order of merchandise.
Synonyms: salesperson, cashier, shop assistant, sales associate
Antonyms: customer, buyer
Definition 3 (Legal Context): A public officer who keeps records of a court or legislative body, or who performs administrative duties for a judge or barrister.
Synonyms: registrar, court official, judicial assistant, law clerk
Antonyms: litigant, defendant, plaintiff
Verb
Definition 1: To perform the duties of a clerk, such as handling administrative tasks, keeping records, or assisting customers.
Synonyms: assist, record, file, manage, wait on (customers)
Antonyms: supervise, delegate, oversee
Examples of Use
Books:
"The store manager, a man named Mr. Jones, often relied on his most experienced clerk, Sarah, to train new hires and handle difficult customer situations." (From a work of fiction, illustrating a retail context)
"Every morning, the junior clerk at the solicitor's office was tasked with sorting through the mountain of incoming mail before the partners arrived." (Illustrates an administrative/legal context)
Newspapers:
"A clerk at the local post office was praised for her quick thinking after she identified a suspicious package and alerted authorities." (Associated Press)
"The Supreme Court clerk announced the release of several landmark opinions this morning, drawing immediate reactions from legal scholars." (The New York Times)
Online Publications:
"How to become a court clerk: A comprehensive guide to education, duties, and career prospects in the legal field." (LegalCareerPath.com)
"Online retailers are increasingly investing in AI-powered chatbots to assist customers, reducing the need for human sales clerks for routine inquiries." (TechCrunch)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: In the movie Clerks (1994), the main characters are convenience store and video store clerks who engage in philosophical and often mundane discussions about their lives and jobs.
Television Series: "The character, a diligent bank clerk, stumbled upon a money-laundering scheme, leading to a thrilling subplot in the latest crime drama series." (Description of a fictional TV show character, typical of a review)
Video Games: "Players can choose to take on the role of a shop clerk in the new indie game, managing inventory and interacting with quirky customers in a pixelated fantasy world." (Game review)
General Public Discourse:
"I spent most of my summer job as a library clerk, reshelving books and helping people find what they needed." (Common personal anecdote)
"The person who helped me at the DMV was really efficient; that clerk got me through the process in no time." (Everyday conversation about a public service experience)
10 Quotes Using Clerk
Emotions are contagious. We've all known it experientially. You know after you have a really fun coffee with a friend, you feel good. When you have a rude clerk in a store, you walk away feeling bad." (Daniel Goleman)
"It is easier to rob by setting up a bank than by holding up a bank clerk." (Bertolt Brecht)
"The six of us gathered at my house, and we walked to the polls. I'll never forget it. Not a Negro was on the streets, and when we got to the courthouse, the clerk said he wanted to talk with us." (Medgar Evers)
"My parents were working class folks. My dad was a bartender for most of his life, my mom was a maid and a cashier and a stock clerk at WalMart." (Marco Rubio)
"I was born in a poor family, a lower middle class family. My father was a clerk in the forest department." (Anupam Kher)
"Starting at 11, I was a movie-theater popcorn girl, a babysitter, a sales clerk - in the Midwest, they start them early!" (Kate Spade)
"I think a law clerk told me about this tumblr and also explained to me what Notorious RBG was a parody on." (Ruth Bader Ginsburg)
"The only lottery I've ever won was a $100 scratch-off card at age 16, and the 7-Eleven clerk who sold it to me said I was too young to claim my winnings." (Laura Moser)
"I do not rule Russia: ten thousand clerks do." (Nicholas II of Russia)
"You're not free if you can't marry the person you love because a county clerk is imposing his or her interpretation of religion on you." (Pete Buttigieg)
Etymology
The word "clerk" has a really interesting history, rooted in the idea of someone who can read and write.
Imagine a long, long time ago, in the early Middle Ages (around the 10th or 11th century). Most people couldn't read or write. The few who could were often involved with the church, as priests, monks, or scholars. These educated individuals were known by a Latin word, clericus, which meant "a clergyman" or "a person in holy orders."
Over time, this Latin word clericus evolved into the Old French word clerc, and then eventually into the Old English word clerc. The very first known use in English (or Old English, to be precise) was around the late 10th or early 11th century.
At that point, the meaning of "clerk" was almost exclusively tied to someone who was educated, especially in a religious context. They were the ones who could read, write, and keep records, often for the church or for royalty. Because they were the only ones with these skills, they became essential for administrative tasks.
As society changed, more people outside of the church started to learn how to read and write. However, the word "clerk" stuck around for anyone who performed administrative duties, kept records, or handled paperwork, even if they weren't part of the clergy. So, the meaning gradually broadened from strictly religious scholars to anyone doing office work.
In short, "clerk" started as a word for church-educated people who could read and write, and it slowly grew to mean anyone who handles records and paperwork, reflecting how valuable those skills once were.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Clerk
Clerk of the works: (A historical term, but still understood) An individual who supervises construction work.
Court clerk: A person who manages the administrative work of a court.
Law clerk: A person, typically a recent law school graduate, who assists a judge or lawyer with legal research and writing.
Parish clerk: (Historical/Religious) An officer of the parish who performed various duties, including assisting the clergyman.
Hotel clerk: An employee who works at the front desk of a hotel.
To be tied to the desk/office: (Using a synonym, implying the work of a clerk) To be confined to an administrative job.
Pen-pusher: (Often derogatory, using a synonym for someone doing clerical work) Someone who spends their time doing tedious office work.
Behind the counter: (Referring to the position of a retail clerk) Working in a retail or service environment.
Going through the books: (Referring to a task a clerk might do) Examining financial records.
The office grind: (Referring to the daily routine of a clerk or office worker) The repetitive nature of administrative work.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of clerk from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
