Word
jenkins
Phoneticsjenk·ins
/ˈdʒɛŋkənz/
Definitions
01a surname
n. a common last name in English-speaking countries.
n. a surname of Cornish and English origin, originally a patronymic meaning 'son of Jenkin'.
“Mr. Jenkins is the new science teacher at our local high school.”
“The archival records indicate that the Jenkins family has resided in this particular district of Devon for over three centuries.”
Usage
Always capitalized as a proper noun.
02a sycophant
n. an old, insulting word for someone who flatters people in power to get what they want.
n. a derogatory term for a flatterer or sycophant. This usage is dated and rarely encountered in modern corpora.
“The old novel described the butler as a grovelling jenkins who lived for his master's praise.”
“In the satirical literature of the period, the character was portrayed as a typical jenkins, constantly seeking favour through insincere adulation.”
Archaic · Informal
Teaching tip
This sense is extremely rare in modern English; learners are far more likely to encounter the word as a surname.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“The Chosen is a venture by evangelical Christian film-maker Dallas Jenkins that began as a crowdfunded project in 2017 and is now watched by an estimated 280 million people worldwide.” Etymology
A patronymic surname that is derived from the male given name John + -kin (which forms diminutive )+ -s (denoting "son of") hence meaning "son of little John". It was originally an offshoot of the male medieval name Jenkin/Jankin. The name was brought from the crusaders; it originated in Cornwall but became popular in England and Wales.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/jenkins