Forms: (6 giunco, iunco), 7 junke, junck(e, jounck, junc, yonk, 7–9 jonk, 8 joncke, 7– junk. [A word of Oriental origin, now adapted in most European langs.: Pg. junco (in 16th c. jungo, Barbosa), Sp. junco, It. giunco (16th c. giunca, Pigafetta), F. joncque, Du. jonk. App. ad. Javanese djong (occurring in compositions of 13th c. or earlier), ‘ship, large vessel,’ Malay adjong. The earlier Eng. forms are from other European langs.
Some have sought the origin of the word in the Chinese ch’wan ‘ship or sailing vessel’; but the Portuguese and Dutch were established in Java and the Malay Archipelago before they visited China, and found the Javanese and Malay word (which has no connection with the Chinese) applied to all large native vessels as well as to the Chinese ships which visited those shores.]
A name for the common type of native sailing vessel in the Chinese seas. It is flat-bottomed, has a square prow, prominent stem, full stern, the rudder suspended, and carries lug-sails.
The name is now applied to Chinese, Japanese, Loochoo, Siamese, and other vessels of this type; early writers applied it still more widely to Malay, Javan, and even South Indian native vessels.
[1555. Eden, Decades, 215. [from It. of Pigafetta] From the whiche Ilandes [Moluccas] they are brought [to India] in shyps or barkes made withowt any iren tooles…. These barkes they caule Giunche.
1588. R. Parke, trans. Mendoza’s Hist. China, I. III. xxi. 115. Such ships as they haue to saile long voiages be called Iuncos.]
1613. Purchas, Pilgrimage, Descr. India (1864), 54. The viceroy having two ships sent him for supply, two Iunkes, eight or ten boates.
1634. Sir T. Herbert, Trav., 184. We espied a Malabar Juncke of seventie Tunnes, bound for Acheen in Sumatra.
1697. Dampier, Voy. (1729), I. 396. The Chinese … have always hideous Idols on board their Jonks or Ships.
1720. De Foe, Capt. Singleton, xiv. (1840), 237. We met with a Dutch junk, or vessel, going to Amboyna.
1773. Gentl. Mag., XLIII. 332. The Chinese junks and boats … were most of them sunk.
1813. J. Burney, Discov. S. Sea, III. x. 255. The unwieldiness of the Chinese jonks.
1853. Hawthorne, Eng. Note-Bks. (1883), I. 442. All manner of odd-looking craft, but none so odd as the Chinese junk.
attrib. 1634. Sir T. Herbert, Trav., 27. A Junck-man of Warre full of desperate Malabars.
1880. Miss Bird, Japan, II. 320. The total junk navy is 468,750 tons.
