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Definition of clerk noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

clerk

noun
 
/klɑːk/
 
/klɜːrk/
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  1. (also sales clerk both North American English, shop assistant, assistant (both British English))
    a person whose job is to serve customers in a shop
    • The clerk at the counter gave me too little change.
    • The clerk answered all our questions.
    Topics Jobsb2, Shoppingb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • bookstore
    • grocery
    • sales
    See full entry
  2. (also desk clerk)
    (both North American English) a person whose job is dealing with people arriving at or leaving a hotel synonym receptionist
    • The hotel clerk greeted us warmly.
    Topics Jobsb2, Holidaysb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • bookstore
    • grocery
    • sales
    See full entry
  3. a person whose job is to keep the records or accounts and do other routine duties in an office, shop, etc.
    • an office clerk
    see also file clerk, filing clerk
    Extra Examples
    • He started work as a railway booking clerk.
    • an articled clerk working for a large law firm
    • (especially British English) a bank clerk (= who deals with customers in a bank)
    Topics Jobsb2, Businessb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • chief
    • senior
    • assistant
    preposition
    • clerk to
    phrases
    • the office of clerk
    • the post of clerk
    See full entry
  4. an official in charge of the records of a council, court, etc.
    • the Clerk of the Court
    see also clerk of works, county clerk, parish clerk, town clerk
    Extra Examples
    • a former clerk to Chief Justice George P. Willison
    • He held the post of Clerk to the Council.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • chief
    • senior
    • assistant
    preposition
    • clerk to
    phrases
    • the office of clerk
    • the post of clerk
    See full entry
  5. Word OriginOld English cleric, clerc (in the sense ‘ordained minister, literate person’), from ecclesiastical Latin clericus ‘clergyman’, from Greek klērikos ‘belonging to the Christian clergy’, from klēros ‘lot, heritage’ (Acts 1:26); reinforced by Old French clerc, from the same source. Sense (1) dates from the early 16th cent.
See clerk in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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