Clerk

Definition: Clerk

Clerk

Noun

1. An employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts).

2. A salesperson in a store.

Verb

1. Work as a clerk, as in the legal business.

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "clerk" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1321. (references)

Law

Literature

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Synonyms: Clerk

Auxiliary

Aide-de-camp, secretary, clerk, associate, marshal; right-hand, right-hand man, Friday, girl Friday, man Friday, gopher, gofer; candle-holder, bottle-holder; handmaid; servant; puppet, cat's-paw, jackal.

Clergy

Churchwarden, sidesman; clerk, precentor, choir; almoner, suisse, verger, beadle, sexton, sacristan; acolyth, acolothyst, acolyte, altar boy; chorister.

Consignee

Functionary, placeman, curator; treasurer; factor, bailiff, clerk, secretary, attorney, advocate, solicitor, proctor, broker, underwriter, commission agent, auctioneer, one's man of business; factotum; (director); caretaker; dalal, dubash, garnishee, gomashta.

Director

Secretary, secretary of state; Reis Effendi; vicar; (deputy); steward, factor; agent; bailiff, middleman; foreman, clerk of works; landreeve; factotum, major-domo, seneschal, housekeeper, shepherd, croupier; proctor, procurator.

Learner

Noun: learner, scholar, student, pupil; apprentice, prentice, journeyman; articled clerk; beginner, tyro, amateur, rank amateur; abecedarian, alphabetarian; alumnus, eleve.

Recorder

Noun: recorder, notary, clerk; registrar, registrary, register; prothonotary; amanuensis, secretary, scribe, babu, remembrancer, bookkeeper, custos rotulorum, Master of the Rolls.

Scholar

Noun: scholar, connoisseur, savant, pundit, schoolman, professor, graduate, wrangler; academician, academist; master of arts, doctor, gownsman; philosopher, master of math; scientist, clerk; sophist, sophister; linguist; glossolinguist, philologist; philologer; lexicographer, glossographer; grammarian; litterateur, literati, dilettanti, illuminati, cogniscenti; fellow, Hebraist, lexicologist, mullah, munshi, Sanskritish; sinologist, sinologue; Mezzofanti, admirable Crichton, Mecaenas.

Servant

Secretary; under secretary, assistant secretary; clerk; subsidiary; agent; subaltern; underling, understrapper; man.

Writing

Writer, scribe, amanuensis, scrivener, secretary, clerk, penman, copyist, transcriber, quill driver; stenographer, typewriter, typist; writer for the press; (author).

Crosswords: Clerk

On a lighter note, a Kwik-E-Mart clerk was brutally murdered last night (The Simpsons; writing credit: Artur Brauner; Paul Hengge)

He's a patent clerk, and I think mister Einstein has some very good ideas (The Time Machine; writing credit: H.G. Wells; David Duncan)

Shipping clerk comes home, finds missus with boarder (Design for Living; writing credit: Noel Coward; Ben Hecht)

The Clerk (1958)

Clerk (1989)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• Arco Postal Clerk and Carrier (Postal Clerk and Carrier, 22nd Ed) (reference)

• Being a Medical Records Clerk (reference)

• Confessions of a Diplomatic Pouch Clerk (reference)

• File Clerk/General Clerk (reference)

• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Speckled Band, the Adventure of the Copper Beeches, the Stock-Broker's Clerk, the Red-Headed League [ABRIDGED] (reference)

  (more book examples)

Periodicals

• Clerk Of Works (reference)

• Mississippi Supervisor And Chancery Clerk Circuit Clerk Tax Acessor & Collector (reference)

  (more periodical examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Fanny Bindon Bailey Clerk in C&GS office. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.

Airman Rhea Lora, 1st Supply Squadron receiving clerk.

Halftone photograph of a group of the ship's officers, taken in May-June 1898 while in passage from Honolulu to Guam. Those present include: Seated at right, left to right: Lieutenant (Junior Grade) George R. Slocum Assistant Engineer James B. Henry, jr. Standing, left to right: Ensign William A. Moffett Assistant Engineer Charles L. Leiper Paymaster James S. Phillips Surgeon Henry T. Percy Pay Clerk Phillips (or Middleton?) Assistant Engineer Albert W. Marshall Lieutenant Commander Gottfried Blocklinger Passed Assistant Engineer Josiah S. McKean Passed Assistant Surgeon Ammen Farenholt Ensign Waldo Evans Second Lieutenant John T. Myers, USMC. Credit: NAVY.

Montage featuring a painting of the ship (by De Simone, Naples, 1878) and views of four officers who served in her in 1864-1865. The officers are (clockwise from upper right): Lieutenant Roswell H. Lamson., Commanding Officer; Henry S. Hutchings, Paymaster's Clerk; Acting Master's Mate H.J. ("I" ?) Derbyshire; and Acting 3rd Assistant Engineer Enoch B. Carter (probably -- there is no Engineer named "William Carter" in contemporary Navy Registers). Credit: NAVY.

Gertie. Gertie gazing into store with cat and sign "to rent" then holding rental office clerk at gunpoint to get cat out. Credit: Library of Congress.

Captain, mate, & clerk. Credit: Library of Congress.

Tanforan (Calif.) Assembly Center -- Evacuees who were citizens retained right to vote--Photo shows City Clerk Ralph E. Woodman of San Bruno, California, municipality nearest to Center, accepting absentee ballots for State election from evacuees. Credit: Library of Congress.

Two cartoons: one showing clerk saying, "I am very sorry, but my orders are ...", and tourist saying, "Yesh, yesh, I know all about your orders; but how voz it dot you knowed i wozn't a Ghristian?" ; the other An Oirish opinion, showing Irish woman saying. Credit: Library of Congress.

Chief clerk Green, Construction Department. Credit: Library of Congress.

John M. Swadall, Chief Clerk of War Department. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

A clerk shall not be amerced in respect of his lay holding except after the manner of the others aforesaid; further, he shall not be amerced in accordance with the extent of his ecclesiastical benefice. (reference)

At the last term on the affidavits then read and filed with the clerk, a rule was granted in this case, requiring the Secretary of State [note: i.e., James Madison] to show cause why a mandamus should not issue, directing him to deliver to William Marbury his commission as a justice of the peace for the county of Washington, in the district of Columbia. (reference)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

The clerk in the tank involuntarily applauded

Every Monday Marius sent to the clerk of La Force five francs for Thenardier

The clerk thought, I get fifteen dollars a week

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Civil Liberties

Sri Lanka

The Muslim community protested alleged police inaction concerning the assault on a Muslim store clerk. (references)

Barbados

Police, some in riot gear and on horseback, arrested a clerk, eight law students from across the Caribbean, and a law lecturer, Dr. Rose-Marie Antoine (the wife of St. Lucia's Prime Minister). (references)

Economic History

Romania

The vast majority of bribes were paid to attorneys, who act as intermediaries, rather than directly to a judge or clerk. (references)

Human Rights

Tanzania

In June the authorities arrested a magistrate and court clerk in Mtwara for corruption. (references)

Ecuador

For example, on February 13, members of the National Police and the Air Force Combat Command in Guayaquil accused warehouse clerk Jose Ramires of theft. (references)

Guatemala

In 1999 the Supreme Court extended the administrative model of the justice centers to include the criminal courts in the capital by creating a new Clerk of Court office, which has streamlined the processing of cases, increased transparency, and improved customer service. (references)

Women

Cameroon

While the law gives a woman the freedom to organize her own business, the law allows a husband to end his wife's commercial activity by notifying the clerk of the commerce tribunal of his opposition based upon the family's interest. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Expressions using "clerk": accounting clerk ♦ articled clerk ♦ bank clerk ♦ booking clerk ♦ bookkeeping clerk ♦ chief clerk of a bank department ♦ clerk in holy orders ♦ Clerk of the pells ♦ clerk of the privy seal ♦ company clerk ♦ confidential clerk ♦ correspondent clerk ♦ counter clerk ♦ court clerk ♦ desk clerk ♦ despatch clerk ♦ dispatch clerk ♦ Entry clerk ♦ file clerk ♦ filing clerk ♦ hotel clerk ♦ hotel desk clerk ♦ James Clerk Maxwell ♦ junior clerk ♦ law clerk ♦ lay clerk ♦ Lord justice clerk ♦ mail clerk ♦ managing clerk ♦ nixie clerk ♦ parish clerk ♦ pay clerk ♦ postal clerk ♦ reception clerk ♦ reporting clerk ♦ riding clerk ♦ room clerk ♦ sales clerk ♦ shipping clerk ♦ shire clerk ♦ shop clerk ♦ tally clerk ♦ ticket clerk ♦ toolroom clerk ♦ town clerk ♦ vestry clerk ♦ wages clerk ♦ warehouse clerk. Additional references.

Beginning with "clerk": Clerk-ale, clerk-assistant, clerk-cum-clerk, clerk-cum-what-have-you, Clerk-douglas, Clerk-in-charge, clerk-level, clerk-receptionist.

Ending with "clerk": Justice-clerk.

Afrikaans

kantoorklerk. (various references)

Albanian

teknik (engineer, engineering, technical, technician), shkrues (scribe), shitës (merchant, monger, salesclerk, salesman, seller, shop assistant, trader, tradesman, trafficker, vender, vendor), sekretar gjyqi (recorder), sekretar (actuary, amanuensis, draftsman, draughtsman, receptionist, scribe, secretary), punonjës zyre, nëpunës (employe, employee). (various references)

Arabic 

‏كاتب (author, penman, scribe, writer), ‏موظف (officer), ‏محرر كاتب (editor, scribe), ‏محرر (detached, editor, good riddance, liberate, liberator, redactor, rescuer, writer), ‏نساخ (copyist, scribe), ‏عمل كاتبا, ‏عمل بائعا, ‏البائعة (salesclerk, saleswoman), ‏رجل دين. (various references)

Breton

gwerzher (seller, store clerk). (various references)

Bulgarian 

секретар (actuary, amanuensis, officer, recorder, registrar, scribe, secretary, writer), служител в хотел, чиновник (agent, office bearer, officer, official, white collar worker), банков служител, писар (recorder, writer). (various references)

Catalan

dependent (saleswoman). (various references)

Chamorro

eskribiente. (various references)

Chinese 

營業�"� (shop assistant), 書記 (secretary), 干事. (various references)

Czech

úředník (officer, official), úøedník. (various references)

Danish

kontorist. (various references)

Dutch

kantoorbediende (officer, official), bediende (attendant, servant). (various references)

Esperanto

komizo. (various references)

Estonian

müüja (store clerk). (various references)

Farsi 

فروشنده مغازه (Salesclerk), منشی (Actuary, Characteristic, Scribe, Secretary), کارمنددفتری , دفتردار. (various references)

Finnish

konttoristi, konttoriapulainen (office employee), kirjuri. (various references)

Flemish

bediende (receptionist, store clerk). (various references)

French

greffier (court clerk). (various references)

French Canadian

guichetier. (various references)

German

Büroangestellte (nine-to-fiver, office worker, white collar worker), Schreiber (author, clerks, plotter, recorder, scribbler, scribe, Scrivener, secretary, tachograph, teleprinter, telex, typist, writer, writers, writing implement), Beamte (civil servant, officer, official, officials), Verkäufer (purveyor, sales assistant, sales clerk, salesclerk, salesman, salesperson, seller, sellers, shop assistant, shopman, shopmen, vender, venders, vendor, vendors), schriftführer (secretary), angestellter (employee, staffing), Angestellte (employee, office worker, pier, shipping clerk, staffer, white collar worker). (various references)

Greek 

clerk, γραμματύασ, γραμματεύσ (scribe), γραφέασ (amanuensis, scribe), υπάλληλοσ (employee, officer), υπάλληλος. (various references)

Haitian Creole

komi (store clerk). (various references)

Hebrew 

לבלר (pen pusher, scribe, secretary), פקי�" (functionary, officer, official). (various references)

Hungarian

írnok (amanuensis, junior clerk, penman, penmen, scribe, scrivener, staff sergeant, writer), adminisztrátor (administrator, manager), hivatalnok (civil servant, desk, limpet, official), ügyintéző (administrator, official in charge), ügyvédbojtár (barrister in embryo), ügyvédjelölt (barrister in embryo), üzleti elárusító, írástudó (clerkly, literate, pundit, scribe, scripturist), áruházi elárusító, felszentelt pap (clerk in holy orders), tudós ember (bookman, literate), irodai alkalmazott, kántor (cantor, chanter, choir master, chorister), könyvelő (accountant, bookkeeper), kereskedősegéd, lelkész (chaplain, churchman, clergyman, clerical, clerk in holy orders, curate-in-charge, divine, minister, parson, pastor, priest), pap (clergyman, cleric, clerical, clerk in holy orders, ecclesiastic, minister, officiating minister, parson, Poppa, prelate, priest, rector, rev.), egyházi személy (clergyman, clerk in holy orders). (various references)

Icelandic

afgreiðslumaður (Store clerk). (various references)

Indonesian

pramuniaga, pegawai (crew, employee). (various references)

Irish

cléireach, scríbhneoir. (various references)

Italian

cancelliere (chancellor, registrar). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

官吏 (government official). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

きょくい�" (staff), しょき (anticipated, desire, early, expectation, expected, heat stroke, hope, hoped-for, hot weather, initial, initial stage, secretary, sunstroke), ば�"とう (late blooming flowers, late crops, late growing rice, late winter), か�"り (control, government official, management, superintendence, supervision), クラーク (Clark), じむい�", じむや (office worker), て�"い�" (employee, salesperson, shop assistant). (various references)

Korean 

사무원. (various references)

Manx

cleragh (clarkia, cleric, mass-server, scrivener). (various references)

Maori

karaka (clock). (various references)

Norwegian

kontorist, ekspeditør. (various references)

Papiamen

bankero (bank clerk, bank official, banker). (various references)

Pig Latin

erkclay.(various references)

Portuguese

caixeiro (cashier), balconista (saleslady). (various references)

Romanian

copist (copyist, engrosser, law-writer, penman, scribe, Scrivener, transcriber), vânzãtor (retailer, salesclerk, salesman, seller, shopman, vender), slujbaş (employee), secretar (amanuenses, amanuensis, scribe, secretary, writer), procurist (manager), funcţionar (employee, functionary, magistrate, officer, official, servant), amploiat (employee), agent (agency, agent, assignee, broker, courier, factor, go between, means, medium, minister). (various references)

Russian 

клерк (pen-driver). (various references)

Scottish

cléireach (a clerk, writer). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

zapisničar (scorer), trgovački pomoćnik (shopman), sudski pisar (law-writer), službenik (employee, incumbent, office bearer, office holder, official, servant, service book), prodavac (bargainer, merchandiser, monger, peddler, pedlar, salesclerk, salesman, salesperson, seller, shop assistant, vender, vendor), beležnik (notary). (various references)

Spanish

empleado (employee, help, officer, official, servant, used), dependiente (dependant, dependent, earring, employee, sales assistant, salesclerk, salesman, salesperson, shop assistant, shopman), oficinista (clerical). (various references)

Swahili

karani. (various references)

Swedish

tjänsteman (employee, functionary, office bearer, office holder, officer, official), notarie (registrar), kontorist. (various references)

Tagalog

klerk. (various references)

Turkish

yazmanlık yapmak, yazman (amanuensis, pencil pusher, quill-driver, scribe, script girl, secretary), yazıcı (printer, scribe, Scrivener), tezgahtar, tezgâhtarlık yapmak, tezgâhtar (assistant, counterjumper, counterman, salesclerk, saleslady, salesman, salesperson, saleswoman, shop assistant), resepsiyonist (desk clerk, receptionist), memuru, müdür (administrator, director, gaffer, governor, guv, guvnor, head, intendant, manager, provost, supervisor, vice president, warden), kâtiplik yapmak, kâtip (amanuensis, pencil pusher, quill-driver, scribe, secretary, typist), kâtíp, şef (captain, chef, chief, commander, gaffer, general, guv, guvnor, head, headman, principal, supervisor, taskmaster, top dog). (various references)

Ukrainian

секретар (actuary, amanuensis, receptionist, scorekeeper, secretary), чиновник (functionary, office bearer, office holder, officer, official, officiary, placeman), церковний служитель (sidesman), конторський службовець (officeman), клерк, продавщиця (salesclerk, salesgirl, saleslady, saleswoman, shopgirl), продавець (bearer, marketeer, monger, salesclerk, shopman, vendor), працювати канцеляристом. (various references)

Vietnamese 

người thư ký tu sĩ, giáo sĩ (clergyman, cleric). (various references)

Welsh

clerc. (various references)

Zulu

umabhalane. (various references)

amanuensis, apparitores, notarius, scriba, scribae, scribam, scribarum, scribas, scribis, superscribam. (various references)

clericus. (various references)

secretarius. (various references)

escrivain. (various references)

Derivations

Words beginning with "clerk": clerkdom, clerkdoms, clerked, clerking, clerkish, clerklier, clerkliest, clerkly, clerks, clerkship, clerkships. (additional references)

Words ending with "clerk": salesclerk, subclerk. (additional references)

Words containing "clerk": salesclerks, subclerks. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Clerk" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: bleerk, blerk, Celik, Cerc, ceyrek, Cfer, Cherk, clak, clark, cleak, cleer, Cleere, cler, clerc, clere, clerg, cleri, clerky, clero, clers, clier, clir, clira, clirn, clori, clur, clurk, Cserka, Czersk, kerk, kler, lerk. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

-1 letter: reck.

-2 letters: cel, elk, lek, rec.

-3 letters: el, er, re.

+1 letter: calker, clerks, lacker, licker, locker, rackle, relock, ruckle.

+2 letters: blacker, blocker, brickle, buckler, cackler, calkers, caulker, clacker, clerked, clerkly, clicker, clinker, clocker, clunker, crackle, crankle, crinkle, earlock, fickler, flicker, freckle, freckly, grackle, hackler, heckler, lackers, lickers, lockers, luckier, mickler, plucker, prickle, relocks, ruckled, ruckles, sculker, slacker, slicker, suckler, tackler, tickler, trickle, truckle.