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Jerky describes something that involves a lot of jerks, meaning sudden movements.

Jerky also means meat that has been cut into strips and then dried or smoked.

As an adjective, jerky describes something as having irregular, jarring movement, as in It was a long, jerky ride on the carriage thanks to the uncooperative horses.

In this sense, the adverb jerkily means in a jerky movement, as in The wagon bounced jerkily over the rocky path.

The noun form of this sense is jerkiness, as in The jerkiness of the airplane flight quickly made me feel sick.

Jerky is also meat that has been sliced into strips that are then smoked or dried. The term jerked meat is also used to refer to this food. In this sense, jerky is used as both a singular and plural, as in I ate a piece of jerky from the bag of jerky Tom brought on the hike.

Example: The jerky movements of the bull threw the cowboy to the ground.

The first records of jerky come from around 1670. The adjective comes from the noun jerk, meaning “a sudden movement.” The noun is an Americanism that comes from an alteration of the American-Spanish term charqui, meaning “dried meat.”

In the United States, beef is the most commonly used meat to make jerky, and nearly every grocery store sells bags of beef jerky. However, jerky can be made out of any kind of meat, including alligator, kangaroo, ostrich, and alpaca, which would be considered unusual in the United States.

Jerky can also be used as slang to mean “stupid” or “foolish.” In this sense, jerky is an insult and people described as jerky would not be happy about it.

What are some other forms related to jerky?

• jerkily (adverb)
• jerkiness (noun)

What are some synonyms for jerky?

• bouncy
• bumpy
• rough
• twitching

What are some words that share a root or word element with jerky?��

• jerk

What are some words that often get used in discussing jerky?

• movement
• spasm
• turbulence
• meat
• dried
• smoked
• beef

The word jerky more often refers to dried meat.

Headed up to Seattle to check in on UW. Thought I'd take the train. Imagined it as quaint experience. More like a jerky carnival ride.

— Chantel Jennings (@ChantelJennings)

First time doing jerky. Marinated flank for 22 hours and now on the at 200F for 5 hours. Not sure what I’m doing exactly but it smells like jerky so that’s a good start. Any pro tips?

— Dusty Trotts (@DustyTrotts801)

Just tried vegan beef jerky with my dog. I ate the first piece, she ate the remaining all of them.

— Elton Castee (@EltonCastee)

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Which of the following words would most likely be used with jerky?

A. fruit
B. drink
C. meat
D. bread