junk

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

junk, n. 

 A fragment of any solid substance; a thick piece. See Chunk.  Lowell.  [1913 Webster]

junk, n. [Pg. junco junk, rush, L. juncus a bulrush, of which ropes were made in early ages. Cf. Junket.].

•  Pieces of old cable or old cordage, used for making gaskets, mats, swabs, etc., and when picked to pieces, forming oakum for filling the seams of ships.  [1913 Webster]
•  Old iron, or other metal, glass, paper, etc., bought and sold by junk dealers.  [1913 Webster]
•  Something worthless, or only worth its value as recyclable scrap.  [PJC]
•  Hard salted beef supplied to ships.  [1913 Webster]

Junk bottle , a stout bottle made of thick dark-colored glass. -- Junk dealer, a dealer in old cordage, old metal, glass, etc. -- Junk hook (Whaling), a hook for hauling heavy pieces of blubber on deck. -- Junk ring. (a) A packing of soft material round the piston of a steam engine. (b) A metallic ring for retaining a piston packing in place; (c) A follower. -- Junk shop, a shop where old cordage, and ship's tackle, old iron, old bottles, old paper, etc., are kept for sale. -- Junk vat (Leather Manuf.), a large vat into which spent tan liquor or ooze is pumped. -- Junk wad (Mil.), a wad used in proving cannon; also used in firing hot shot.

junk, n. [Pg. junco; cf. Jav. & Malay jong, ajong, Chin. chwan.].

 A large vessel, without keel or prominent stem, and with huge masts in one piece, used by the Chinese, Japanese, Siamese, Malays, etc., in navigating their waters.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

junk, n. & v.
--n.
1 discarded articles; rubbish.
2 anything regarded as of little value.
3 sl. a narcotic drug, esp. heroin.
4 old cables or ropes cut up for oakum etc.
5 Brit. a lump or chunk.
6 Naut. hard salt meat.
7 a lump of fibrous tissue in the sperm whale's head, containing spermaceti.
--v.tr. discard as junk.

Idiom

junk food food with low nutritional value. junk mail unsolicited advertising matter sent by post. junk shop a shop selling cheap second-hand goods or antiques.

junk, n. a flat-bottomed sailing vessel used in the China seas, with a prominent stem and lugsails.

Etymology

obs. F juncque, Port. junco, or Du. jonk, f. Jav. djong

THESAURUS

junk

Amytal, Amytal pill, Demerol, Dolophine, H, Luminal, Luminal pill, M, Mickey Finn, NG, Nembutal, Nembutal pill, Seconal, Seconal pill, Tuinal, Tuinal pill, addictive drug, alcohol, amobarbital sodium, analgesic, anodyne, barb, barbiturate, barbiturate pill, bark, bawley, bilander, black stuff, blue, blue angel, blue devil, blue heaven, blue velvet, boot out, bounce, brig, brigantine, bully, buss, calmative, candy, caravel, cashier, cast, cast aside, cast out, castaway, castoff, cat, catamaran, cheap, cheat, chloral hydrate, chuck out, clamjamfry, clinquant, clipper, codeine, codeine cough syrup, collateral, corsair, corvette, counterfeit, cutter, dandy, dangerous drug, debris, defenestrate, depressant, depressor, derelict, detrude, dhow, discard, discharge, dogie, dolly, dope, downer, dromond, drug, dummy, dust, eject, exclude, expel, extrude, fake, fakement, fishing smack, flattie, flotsam, flotsam and jetsam, forgery, foundling, four-masted bark, four-master, frame-up, fraud, frigate, galiot, galleass, galleon, garbage, give the hook, good-for-naught, good-for-nothing, goofball, hard drug, hard stuff, heave out, heroin, hoax, hooker, hop, horse, hoy, hypnotic, ice yacht, imitation, impostor, jetsam, jettison, junky, keelboat, kelter, ketch, kick downstairs, kick out, knockabout, knockout drops, lagan, lateen, lateener, laudanum, liquor, litter, lorcha, lotus, lugger, lumber, meperidine, methadone, mock, morphia, morphine, narcotic, no-account, no-good, nobby, not worth having, not worth mentioning, not worthwhile, nugacious, nugatory, obtrude, ocean racer, offal, opiate, opium, orphan, oust, outrigger, pacifier, pain killer, paregoric, paste, pen yan, pension off, phenobarbital, phenobarbital sodium, phony, pilot boat, pinchbeck, pinnace, piragua, pirogue, pram, pungy, purple heart, put out, put-on, put-up job, quietener, racing yacht, raff, rainbow, red, refuse, reject, remove, retire, riffraff, rigger, rip-off, rubbish, rubble, sailing auxiliary, sailing canoe, sailing dinghy, sailing packet, sailing trawler, sampan, sandbagger, scag, schooner, scooter, scrap, secobarbital sodium, sedative, shabby, shallop, sham, sharpie, shipentine, shit, shoddy, simulacrum, skipjack, sleep-inducer, sleeper, sleeping draught, sleeping pill, sloop, slough, smack, smack boat, snow, sodium thiopental, somnifacient, soother, soothing syrup, soporific, stuff, superannuate, swindle, tar, tartan, throw away, throw out, throw overboard, thrust out, tinsel, topsail schooner, toss out, tranquilizer, trash, trashy, trimaran, trivial, truck, turn out, turps, valueless, waif, waifs and strays, wash out, waste, wastrel, well smack, whaler, white stuff, whited sepulcher, wool-clipper, worthless, xebec, yacht, yawl, yellow, yellow jacket

ROGET THESAURUS

junk

Inutility

N inutility, uselessness, inefficacy, futility, ineptitude, inaptitude, unsubservience, inadequacy, inefficiency, unskillfulness, disservice, unfruitfulness (unproductiveness), labor in vain, labor lost, labor of Sisyphus, lost trouble, lost labor, work of Penelope, sleeveless errand, wild goose chase, mere farce, tautology, supererogation, vanitas vanitatum, vanity, inanity, worthlessness, nugacity, triviality, caput mortuum, waste paper, dead letter, blunt tool, litter, rubbish, junk, lumber, odds and ends, cast-off clothes, button top, shoddy, rags, orts, trash, refuse, sweepings, scourings, offscourings, waste, rubble, debris, detritus, stubble, leavings, broken meat, dregs, weeds, tares, rubbish heap, dust hole, rudera, deads, fruges consumere natus, useless, inutile, inefficacious, futile, unavailing, bootless, inoperative, inadequate, inservient, unsubservient, inept, inefficient, of no avail, ineffectual, incompetent, stale, flat and unprofitable, superfluous, dispensable, thrown away, abortive, worthless, valueless, priceless, unsalable, not worth a straw, dear at any price, vain, empty, inane, gainless, profitless, fruitless, unserviceable, unprofitable, ill-spent, unproductive, hors de combat, effete, past work, obsolete, fit for the dust hole, good for nothing, of no earthly use, not worth having, not worth powder and shot, leading to no end, uncalled for, unnecessary, unneeded, uselessly, to little purpose, to no purpose, to little or no purpose, Int, cui bono?, what's the good!, actum ne agas, chercher une aiguille dans une botte de foin, tanto buon che val niente.

Ship

N ship, vessel, sail, craft, bottom, navy, marine, fleet, flotilla, shipping, man of war, transport, tender, storeship, merchant ship, merchantman, packet, liner, whaler, slaver, collier, coaster, lighter, fishing boat, pilot boat, trawler, hulk, yacht, baggala, floating hotel, floating palace, ocean greyhound, ship, bark, barque, brig, snow, hermaphrodite brig, brigantine, barkantine, schooner, topsail schooner, for and aft schooner, three masted schooner, chasse-maree, sloop, cutter, corvette, clipper, foist, yawl, dandy, ketch, smack, lugger, barge, hoy, cat, buss, sailer, sailing vessel, windjammer, steamer, steamboat, steamship, liner, ocean liner, cruiseship, ship of the line, mail steamer, paddle steamer, screw steamer, tug, line of steamers, destroyer, cruiser, frigate, landing ship, LST, aircraft carrier, carrier, flattop, nuclear powered carrier, submarine, submersible, atomic submarine, boat, pinnace, launch, life boat, long boat, jolly boat, bum boat, fly boat, cock boat, ferry boat, canal boat, swamp boat, ark, bully, battery, bateau, broadhorn, dory, droger, drogher, dugout, durham boat, flatboat, galiot, shallop, gig, funny, skiff, dingy, scow, cockleshell, wherry, coble, punt, cog, kedge, lerret, eight oar, four oar, pair oar, randan, outrigger, float, raft, pontoon, prame, iceboat, ice canoe, ice yacht, catamaran, hydroplane, hovercraft, coracle, gondola, carvel, caravel, felucca, caique, canoe, birch bark canoe, dugout canoe, galley, galleyfoist, bilander, dogger, hooker, howker, argosy, carack, galliass, galleon, polacca, polacre, tartane, junk, lorcha, praam, proa, prahu, saick, sampan, xebec, dhow, dahabeah, nuggah, kayak, keel boat, log canoe, pirogue, quadrireme, trireme, stern-wheeler, wanigan, wangan, wharf boat, balloon, airship, aeroplane, biplane, monoplane, triplane, hydroplane, aerodrome, air balloon, pilot balloon, fire balloon, dirigible, zeppelin, aerostat, Montgolfier, kite, parachute, jet plane, rocket plane, jet liner, turbojet, prop-jet, propeller plane, corporate plane, corporate jet, private plane, private aviation, airline, common carrier, fighter, bomber, fighter-bomber, escort plane, spy plane, supersonic aircraft, subsonic aircraft, afloat, aboard, on board, on ship board, hard a lee, hard a port, hard a starboard, hard a weather.