Jerking

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Making quick, sharp, and sudden motions often involuntarily; moving an object by pulling it with a sudden force; behaving annoyingly or foolishly, often provoking others
2. Performing abrupt and rapid movements that are jerky in nature; pulling or twitching something suddenly and sharply; acting in a way that is irritating or lacking sense
3. Involving spasmodic or irregular motion that is sudden and unexpected; exerting a sudden pull or tug; displaying conduct that is troublesome or silly

Etymology: The verb "jerk" most likely comes from Middle English "yerk", meaning a sudden motion, which may trace back to Old English "ġearc", meaning ready, active or quick. That link is a little surprising: the sharp, sudden tug we now think of as a jerk is related to the idea of being prepared and nimble. "Yerk" was itself a close relative of "yare", meaning ready, with the "-k" ending giving it its quick, snapping shape. Scots kept a cousin of the word, "yerk", still meaning to jerk. The "jerk" in "jerking" is a verb of this family, so the sense of a quick, sharp pull came first and the more figurative senses of irritating or senseless behaviour grew from it. The word has a second, unrelated-looking branch in "jerky", the dried meat, which came into English from Spanish "charqui", borrowed from the Quechua "ch'arki". The meat was named for the way it is prepared and eaten in strips, and "jerk" as a verb was later formed from that noun, which is why the two words now sit side by side.

Synonyms: twitching, jolting, yanking, pulling, wrenching

Antonyms: calming, soothing, stabilizing, smoothing, steadying