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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Zerk #172605 01/16/08 11:01 PM Joined: Jan 2008 Posts: 2 F Frank Barrett OP stranger OP Frank Barrett stranger F Joined: Jan 2008 Posts: 2 I've been writing and editing automotive text for years and have always wondered where the word "zerk" (as in grease fitting) originated? Does anyone know? Perhaps it's named for its inventor? The automotive word world is full of this sort of thing. Frank Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Zerk Frank Barrett #172609 01/16/08 11:13 PM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass tsuwm Carpal Tunnel tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass the worthless word for the day is: zerk [fr. Oscar U. Zerk, American inventor] /zerk/ a grease fitting "A zerk is a grease fitting on a machine, a sort of hollow nipple, over which a grease gun is fit, and through which grease is applied to moving parts... Oscar U. Zerk was born in Austria but lived in the United States. In the 1920's, while working for the Alamite Corporation, he invented the Zerk fitting. He died in 1968 ... and probably slid effortlessly into his coffin." - Father Steve, at AWADtalk (July 1, 2005) "The beefy arms themselves are thick, rounded heavy-duty shafts made of 1 ¼-inch heavy-wall DOM tubing, are zinc-plated and come with zerk fittings and Grade 8 mounting bolts." - Gabriel Sheffer, Four Wheeler, Jul 29 2005 -tsuwm http://home.mn.rr.com/wwftd/ Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Zerk tsuwm #172611 01/16/08 11:41 PM Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 3,290 R'lyeh zmjezhd Carpal Tunnel zmjezhd Carpal Tunnel Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 3,290 R'lyeh An article from 1934 in Time about Mr Oscar Ulysses Zerk. Mr Zerk's US patent 1,619,454 for a lubricant receiving nipple was filed on 05 July 1923 and granted on 01 March 1927. I think it's probable that the public came to call a Zerk lubricant receiving nipple, just a plain old zerk. If you search the US PTO site for patents with the inventor Zerk you find a lot more lubricant-related inventions. Ceci n'est pas un seing. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Zerk Frank Barrett #172623 01/17/08 02:28 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky Jackie Carpal Tunnel Jackie Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky before Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Zerk Jackie #172625 01/17/08 02:50 PM Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Netherlands, the Hague BranShea Carpal Tunnel BranShea Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Netherlands, the Hague >> tsuwm: and probably slid effortlessly into his coffin... The word "zerk" according to Online Etymology; sarcophagus "stone coffin," 1601, from L. sarcophagus, from Gk. sarkophagos "limestone used for coffins," lit. "flesh-eating," in reference to the supposed action of this type of limestone (quarried near Assos in Troas) in quickly decomposing the body, from sarx (gen. sarkos) "flesh" (see sarcasm) + phagein "to eat" (see -phagous). The stone sense was the earliest in Eng,; meaning "stone coffin, often with inscriptions or decorative carvings" is recorded from 1705. The L. word, shortened in V.L. to *sarcus, is the source of Fr. cercueil, Ger. Sarg "coffin," Du. zerk "tombstone." Another shared word. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary Forum Statistics Forums16 Topics13,913 Posts229,652 Members9,187 Most Online3,341 Dec 9th, 2011 Newest Members Karin, JeffMackwood, artguitar, Jim_W, Rdbuffalo 9,187 Registered Users Who's Online Now 0 members (), 156 guests, and 3 robots. Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod Top Posters(30 Days) wofahulicodoc 27 A C Bowden 12 LukeJavan8 3 Top Posters wwh 13,858 Faldage 13,803 Jackie 11,613 wofahulicodoc 10,758 tsuwm 10,542 LukeJavan8 9,936 Buffalo Shrdlu 7,210 AnnaStrophic 6,511 Wordwind 6,296 of troy 5,400

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