Jerkies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of dried meat, often seasoned and preserved for long-term storage
2. A popular snack product made from strips of meat that are cured and dehydrated
3. A flavorful, portable protein source enjoyed in various cultures, typically made from beef or other meats

Etymology: "Jerkies" is simply the plural of "jerky," so this is a short note on that base word. "Jerky" is an English borrowing from Quechua "ch'arki," meaning dried, salted meat, and it reached English through Spanish "charqui" in the 1800s, when Spanish-speaking traders and travelers in South America brought the term north. Its English sense has since narrowed from any dried meat to thin, cured strips, and the plural "jerkies" is used mainly for packaged snack products or multiple varieties of them.

Synonyms: dried meats, dried beef, jerky snacks