Where does “junk” come from?
Junk comes from Portuguese junco, from Latin iuncus, from Proto-Italic joinikos, from Proto-Indo-European yoy-ni-.
junk (English): Discarded or waste material; rubbish, trash,...
Definitions
- Discarded or waste material; rubbish, trash,...
Ancestry of “junk”, step by step
junk traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Portuguese junco
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portuguese | junco | reed, rush; junk |
| 2 | Arabic | جُنْك | — |
| 3 | Malay | jong | Jong (a Javanese-Malay cargo and passenger ship) |
| 4 | Javanese | djong | — |
| 5 | Javanese | ꦗꦺꦴꦁ | umbrella |
| 6 | Kawi | joṅ | — |
| 7 | Proto-Mon-Khmer | *d₂luuŋ | boat |
via Dutch jonk
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | jonk | young |