"worthless stuff," mid-14c., junke "old cable or rope" (nautical), of uncertain origin, perhaps from Old French junc "rush, reed," also used figuratively as a type of something of little value, from Latin iuncus "rush, reed" (but OED finds "no evidence of connexion"). Nautical use extended to "old refuse from boats and ships" (1842), then to "old or discarded articles of any kind" (1884). Junk food is from 1971; junk art is from 1966; junk mail first attested 1954.
junk (n.2)
"Chinese sailing ship," 1610s, from Portuguese junco, from Malay jong "ship, large boat" (13c.), probably from Javanese djong.
junk (v.)
1803, "to cut off in lumps," from junk (n.1). The meaning "to throw away as trash, to scrap" is from 1908. Related: Junked; junking.
New settlers (who should always be here as early in the spring as possible) begin to cut down the wood where they intend to erect their first house. As the trees are cut the branches are to be lopped off, and the trunks cut into lengths of 12 or 14 feet. This operation they call junking them; if they are not junked before fire is applied, they are much worse to junk afterwards. [letter dated Charlotte Town, Nov. 29, 1820, in "A Series of Letters Descriptive of Prince Edward Island," 1822]
实用例句
1. The truth is that junk bonds were misnamed, and therefore misunderstood.
事实上人们对垃圾债券的称谓有误，所以产生了误解。
来自柯林斯例句
2. The junk market has been unsettled for the past seven months.
过去7个月中废旧货市场一直起伏不定。
来自柯林斯例句
3. There was no mail except the usual junk addressed to the occupier.
除了寄给业主的常见垃圾信件之外，再没有其他邮件了。
来自柯林斯例句
4. Rose finds her furniture in junk shops.
罗丝从旧货店买来了家具。
来自柯林斯例句
5. I've cleared out all that old junk in the attic.
