junk 1
/jungk/ , n.
1. any old or discarded material, as metal, paper, or rags.
2. anything that is regarded as worthless, meaningless, or contemptible; trash.
3. old cable or cordage used when untwisted for making gaskets, swabs, oakum, etc.
4. Naut. Slang. See salt junk .
5. Baseball Slang. relatively slow, unorthodox pitches that are deceptive to the batter in movement or pace, as knuckleballs or forkballs.
v.t.
6. to cast aside as junk; discard as no longer of use; scrap.
adj.
7. cheap, worthless, unwanted, or trashy.
[ 1480-90; earlier jonke, of uncert. orig. ]
Syn. 1, 2. rubbish, litter, debris, refuse.
junk 2
/jungk/ , n.
a seagoing ship with a traditional Chinese design and used primarily in Chinese waters, having square sails spread by battens, a high stern, and usually a flat bottom.
[ 1545-55;
junco a kind of sailing vessel jong, said to be chûn; cf. Guangdong dial. syùhn, Chin chuán ]
junk 3
/jungk/ , n. Slang.
narcotics, esp. heroin.
[ 1920-25; perh. special use of JUNK 1 ]