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The noun ilk comes from the Old English pronoun ilca by way of a pronoun ilk that is still in use, but not in most modern English dialects. That ilk is synonymous with same, and persists chiefly in Scotland where it's used in the phrase "of that ilk," meaning "of the same place, territorial designation, or name." It is generally used in reference to the names of land-owning families and their eponymous estates, as in "the Grants of that ilk," which means "the Grants of Grant." In the late 1700s, the Scots phrase extended to mean "of that kind or sort," a usage that found its way into modern English.
Examples of ilk in a Sentence
Franklin Schneider, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
My recent visit to Normandy, France, was of a different ilk, mostly revisiting the history of WWII, chronicled in my first two stories (links below).
—Jim Clash, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Thank goodness for the Rockies and their ilk.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2025
Songs from The Avett Brothers’ catalog permeate the nearly 90-minute one-act show, which has a run-time decidedly on the short end for productions of its ilk.
—Adam Bell, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Ilk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ilk. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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