ilk

1 of 3

noun

: sort, kind
politicians and their ilk

ilk

2 of 3

pronoun (1)

chiefly Scotland
: same
used with that especially in the names of landed families

ilk

3 of 3

pronoun (2)

chiefly Scotland
: each

Did you know?

The Old English pronoun ilca is the predecessor of the modern noun ilk, but by way of a pronoun ilk that does not exist in most dialects of modern English. That ilk is synonymous with same, and persists in Scots where it's used in the phrase of that ilk, meaning "of the same place, territorial designation, or name." It is used chiefly in reference to the names of land-owning families and their eponymous estates, as in "the Guthries of that ilk," which means "the Guthries of Guthrie." Centuries ago a misunderstanding arose concerning the Scots phrase: it was interpreted as meaning "of that kind or sort," a usage that found its way into modern English. Ilk has been established in English with its current meaning and part of speech since the late 18th century.

Examples of ilk in a Sentence

Noun The club attracts punk rockers and others of that ilk. we're looking for chestnuts and other items of that ilk for our autumn decorations
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Running 111 minutes, the film feels draggy, lacking the snappy pacing of films like Macon County Line and its ilk. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024 Some fans may simply miss all the CGI candy we’ve been conditioned to expect from movies of this ilk. Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024 But the commercial success of NSO Group and its ilk seems to have encouraged other companies to join this market. Rob Pegoraro, PCMAG, 6 Feb. 2024 Microsoft announced in March 2023 that Bing surpassed the 100 million monthly active users mark based on interest in Bing Chat and its ilk; by Microsoft's estimates, each percentage of Google's search market share that Bing could siphon away was worth as much as $2 billion to Microsoft. Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, 18 Jan. 2024 The main distinction is that while Roseanne and its ilk were constrained by the decency standards and strict time restrictions of broadcast television, Ted is a streaming title that has to worry about none of those things. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Jan. 2024 The restaurant will specialize in dumplings of every ilk — xiaolongbao, pan-fried and steamed — along with noodle and rice bowls, scallion pancakes and squid salad, and dim sum from shrimp siu mai to braised chicken feet. Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 16 Jan. 2024 In such cases, brewing companies – typically those of the larger ilk – with excess production capacity and room in their brewing schedule will produce beers for another business entity. Brandon Hernández, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Jan. 2024 In a world where social media apps have opened up the space for women to be ultra-feminine without giving up autonomy, bow embellishments and items of the ilk are trendy once again. Heather Taylor-Singh, refinery29.com, 27 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ilk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Pronoun (1)

Middle English, from Old English ilca, from *i- that, the same (akin to Goth is he, Latin, he, that) + *lik- form (whence Old English līc body) — more at iterate, like

Pronoun (2)

Middle English, adjective & pronoun, from Old English ylc, ǣlc — more at each

First Known Use

Noun

1790, in the meaning defined above

Pronoun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Pronoun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ilk was before the 12th century

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Dictionary Entries Near ilk

Cite this Entry

“Ilk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ilk. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ilk

noun
ˈilk
: sort entry 1 sense 1a, kind
gamers and their ilk

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