punk

Etymology 1

Uncertain. Possibly from the application of the sense punk (“rotten wood dust used as tinder”) (attested since 1678) to anything worthless (attested since 1869) and then to any undesirable person (since 1908).

noun

1. (countable) A person used for sex
   1. (now historical and rare) Synonym of prostitute: a person paid for sex.
      However, terrible as it may seem to the tall maiden sisters of J.P.'s in Queen Anne houses with walled vegetable gardens, this courtesan, strumpet, harlot, whore, punk, fille de joie, street-walker, this trollop, this trull, this baggage, this hussy, this drab, skit, rig, quean, mopsy, demirep, demimondaine, this wanton, this fornicatress, this doxy, this concubine, this frail sister, this poor Queenie—did actually solicit me, did actually say 'coming home to-night, dearie' and my soul was not blasted enough to call a policeman. 1936, Anthony Bertram, Like the Phoenix
   2. (LGBT, obsolete) Synonym of catamite: a boy or younger man used by an older as a (usually passive) homosexual partner.
      The Beaus... At night make a Punk of him that's first drunk. 1698, Womens Complaint to Venus
   3. (chiefly US, LGBT) Synonym of bottom: any passive or effeminate homosexual male.
   4. (US, LGBT, slang) A boy who accompanies a hobo, especially as used for sex.
      They'd pick up youngsters as, well—as their playthings. These kids were called punks. 1973, Barry Broadfoot, Ten Lost Years, 1929-1939: Memories of Canadians who survived the Depression, page 137
   5. (US, LGBT, derogatory, chiefly African-American Vernacular) Synonym of faggot: any male homosexual.
   6. (US, LGBT, prison slang) Synonym of bitch: a man forced or coerced into a homosexual relationship, especially in prison.
      If he is small and weak, he may decide to become a ‘punk’ and allow himself to be raped by the inmate most likely to protect him. 2001, Joseph T. Hallinan, Going Up the River: Travels in a Prison Nation, page 106
      Because he was so weak, Vinny soon became Tony's punk.
2. (countable, US slang) A worthless person
   1. (humorous, rare) Synonym of fellow: any person, especially a male comrade.
   2. (derogatory) A petty criminal, especially a juvenile delinquent.
      He said the prisoner called them ‘punk’... He admitted that he shouted ‘punk’ to them. October 18 1908, New York Times, page 9
      There was nothing so special about the gang, punks are punks. 1963, Thomas Pynchon, w:V., page 145
      I know what you're thinking. "Did he fire six shots or only five?" Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I've kinda lost track myself. But being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk? 1971, Harry Julian Fink et al., Dirty Harry, spoken by Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood)
   3. (derogatory) Synonym of sissy: a weak, timid person.
      Do you think a little thing like a scratch would bother me? I'm no punk. 1950, Hal Ellson, Tomboy, page 12
      Taking him home she hemmed him up soon as they stepped in the door. Now Tony was a bad dude in the streets but when it came to his mama, he was a punk. A few cuss words on her part had him spilling everything. 2006, Kali James, Can U Get Away?, page 17
   4. Synonym of amateur.
   5. (circus slang) A young, untrained animal or worker.
3. (uncountable, music) Short for punk rock, a genre known for short, loud, energetic songs with electric guitars and strong drums.
   Who else... would have the nerve to actually begin a song with the line ‘Whatchew gonna do, mama, now that the roast beef's gone...?’ Man, that is true punk; that is so fucked up it's got class up the ass. 1972 November, L. Bangs, Creem, page 68
4. (countable) Short for punk rocker, a musician known for playing punk rock or a fan of the genre.
5. (uncountable) The larger nonconformist social movement associated with punk rock and its fans.

adj

1. (US, colloquial) Worthless, contemptible, particularly
   1. Bad, substandard.
      Babbitt boomed on: "Pretty punk service the Company giving us on these car-lines. Nonsense to only run the Portland Road cars once every seven minutes. Fellow gets mighty cold on a winter morning, waiting on a street corner with the wind nipping at his ankles." 1922, Sinclair Lewis, “3”, in Babbitt, page 30
   2. Thuggish, criminal.
   3. (chiefly African-American Vernacular) Cowardly.
      ... Donald Trump is also a coward. For all of his tough talk and bluster, the president of the United States is a punk ass bitch. 2018, Damon Jones, “Just Remember That Your Punk-Ass President Would Never, Ever, Ever Call LeBron James Dumb to His Face”, in The Root
   4. Poorly, sickly.
      With the subtleties of dressing ran other complex worries. "I feel kind of punk this morning," he said. "I think I had too much dinner last evening. You oughtn't to serve those heavy banana fritters." 1922, Sinclair Lewis, “1”, in Babbitt, page 10
   5. Inexperienced.
2. Of or concerning punk rock or its associated subculture.
   You look very punk with your t-shirt, piercing, and chains.

verb

1. (slang) To pimp.
2. (slang, transitive) To forcibly perform anal sex upon (an unwilling partner).
   Ricky punked his new cell-mates.
   "Hell, Haggerty, with that caved-in chest you got, and with your guts pickled in alcohol, and a leg and a half in the grave, the Navy wouldn't even take you for punkin', Barney sourly said. 1934, James T. Farrell, chapter 19, in The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan
   If you start to stare at men's asses, to try & punk them in their moments with God; you are an enemy of God! Anyone looking upon a man as though a woman is in danger of judgement! -<>< 30 Apr 22, @GisUsIsReal, Twitter
3. (slang, transitive) To prank.
   I got expelled when I punked the principal.
4. (especially with "out") To give up or concede; to act like a wimp.
   Jimmy was going to help me with the prank, but he punked (out) at the last minute.
5. (transitive, often with "out" or "up") To adapt or embellish in the style of the punk movement.
   Suzy, a pump young woman with sparkling brown eyes and punked hair tucked behind her ears, said blankly, "What?" 1992, Dana Stabenow, A Cold Day for Murder, page 60
   Like the Apartments, the supports hadn't written many songs of their own. They ran on that old standby, “fun,” in the form of “punked up” versions of pop songs like “It's my Party,” alongside obscure new wave/punk covers such as Lene Lovich's “Cuckoo Clock.” 2011, David Nichols, The Go-Betweens, page 60
   Their raucous take on the beloved, iconic Israeli folk song allegedly drew the ire of the songwriter, Naomi Shemer, and inspired Yidcore to punk up Jewish culture in myriad ways over the course of the next decade. 2016, Michael Croland, Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk: Jews and Punk, page 59

Etymology 2

Unclear; first attested circa 1680 in writings about Native American practices, probably from Unami punkw (“dust”), though it has also been suggested it could be an alteration of spunk (“tinder”) (compare funk (“rotten wood”)).

noun

1. (uncountable) Any material used as tinder for lighting fires, such as agaric, dried wood, or touchwood, but especially wood altered by certain fungi.
   As the East-Indians use Moxa, so these burn with Punk, which is the inward Part of the Excrescence or Exuberance of an Oak. 1707, John Clayton (botanist), Virginia in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London XLI, page 149
   If they attack a house that is pretty well manned, they [Indians in Pennsylvania] creep behind some fence, or hedge, or tree, and shoot red-hot iron slugs, or punk, into the roof, and fire the house […] 1756, John Bartram, edited by William Darlington, Memorials of John Bartram and Humphry Marshall, published 1849
   On one occasion a venerable old Indian man, who, in order to light his pipe, was trying to catch a spark upon a piece of punk struck from his flint and steel; ... 1899, H. B. Cushman, History of the Choctaw, Chickasaw and Natchez Indians, page 271
   The oil is mixed with bits of dry wood or punk and moulded into sticks about a cubit long and an inch in diameter by putting it into joints of small bamboo. 1922, Harry Ignatius Marshall, The Karen People of Burma, page 61
   He made him a little smoldering pocket of punk to light the fuses and waited. 2001, William W. Johnstone, War of the Mountain Man, page 116
2. (countable) A utensil for lighting wicks or fuses (such as those of fireworks) resembling stick incense.
   On the end a coal of fire slowly smouldered. It would last for hours, and my cell-mate called it a "punk." 1907, Jack London, The Road
   Then, without another word, he rose and left the shelter, apparently in order to light the vessel's wick with a punk from the dying campfire. 1994, Ashland Price, Viking Tempest, page 353
   He raised the cylinder high in the air with his bare hand, used a punk to light the fuse, and KABOOM! 2004, Shawn Shiflett, Hidden Place, page 221

Etymology 3

noun

1. Any of the punk genres: dieselpunk, solarpunk, steampunk etc.