ENGLISH
REFERENCE

clark

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US //ˈkɫɑɹk// clark Archaic

n. an old word for a person who works in an office or a church, keeping records and writing letters. It is the original way people spelled and said 'clerk'.

n. an archaic spelling and variant pronunciation of 'clerk', referring to a person employed to maintain records or conduct general office tasks. Historically used to denote a member of the clergy or a scholar.


SIMPLE

The clark wrote down every name in the big book.

CONTEXTUAL

In the old village records, the clark had noted the birth of every child with careful handwriting.

COMPLEX

The medieval manuscript was meticulously transcribed by a clark who spent his entire life within the silent walls of the monastery library.

Origin

From Old English clerc (“clergyman; learned man”), whence also clerk.

Usage

Now primarily encountered as a surname or in historical texts; in modern British English, the pronunciation /klɑːrk/ is retained for the spelling 'clerk'.

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