punk
punk [punk punks] BrE [pʌŋk] NAmE [pʌŋk] noun
1. (also ˌpunk ˈrock)uncountable a type of loud and aggressive rock music popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s
•a punk band
2. (also ˌpunk ˈrocker)countable a person who likes punk music and dresses like a punk musician, for example by wearing metal chains, leather clothes and having brightly coloured hair
•a punk haircut
3. countable (informal, especially NAmE)a young man or boy who behaves in a rude or violent way
Syn: ↑lout
See also: ↑punk rock
Word Origin:
late 17th cent. (originally referring to a soft, crumbly wood attacked by fungus and used as tinder): perhaps, in some senses, related to archaic punk ‘prostitute’, also to ↑spunk.
Culture:
The music which popular punk bands such as The ↑Sex Pistols and the Clash played was usually loud, fast and violent, and expressed anger against society. Punk fashions, introduced by Vivienne Westwood and others, included torn clothes, safety pins and brightly coloured hair.
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