jerkinessn.
/ˈdʒəːkɪnᵻs/, U.S. /ˈdʒərkinᵻs/ 1. The quality of being characterized by stops and starts; a jerky quality.
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the world > movement > motion in specific manner > sudden movement > [noun] > jerking > a jerk > jerkiness
jerkiness1831
hitchiness1872
1831 Veterinarian Dec. 679 That which would be wanting in power is supplied by a peculiar quickness and jerkiness of motion in the manner in which this animal grazes.
1856 G. Brimley Ess. (1858) iv. 243 To the same feature..we are inclined to attribute the jerkiness of the verse.
1867 G. MacDonald Ann. Quiet Neighbourhood I. vi. 138 Impulse was always predominant, giving a certain jerkiness, like the hopping of a bird.
1963 A. Ross Australia 63 x. 196 If fast, short-pitched bowling induces an initial marionettish jerkiness he soon settles down to more convincing methods.
1987 B. F. Kawin How Movies Work (1992) ii. v. 215 The instability of the normal hand-held shot can introduce a desirable jerkiness.
2017 Winnipeg Free Press 29 Sept. e4/5 There was just a little of the low-speed jerkiness that seemed to result from an over-sensitive throttle and abrupt low-speed shifting.
2. North American colloquial. With reference to a person, usually a male: the quality of being a jerk (jerk n.1 12).
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1959 P. Roth in Commentary Apr. 302/2 For all his jerkiness, that was all Ted Heller was asking for, peace and safety.
1992 M. Medved Hollywood vs. Amer. iv. xiii. 213 The joint is jumpin' with blowhard anti-role models..turning the ethos of the jerk inside out until jerkiness becomes a kind of heroism.
2016 J. Niven Holding Up Universe 181 I like you. Because except for that jerkiness? You're who I want to be.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1831