Chuck

Chuck is primarily a masculine given name, commonly a diminutive of Charles. The given name Charles derives from the Germanic Karl, meaning “man” or “free man,” and Chuck has long been used in English-speaking countries as an informal form of Charles, sometimes as a standalone name.

Notable people and fictional characters named Chuck include Chuck Berry, the influential early rock and roll guitarist; Chuck Yeager, the test pilot who broke the sound barrier; and Chuck Norris, the martial artist and actor. Politicians such as Chuck Schumer are widely known by the nickname Chuck, though their legal name is Charles.

In fiction, Chuck is the title character of the American television series Chuck (2007–2012), centered on a computer nerd who becomes a covert operative. The character’s full name is Charles “Chuck” Bartowski.

Other uses of the term include a cut of beef known as chuck, which comes from the shoulder area of a cow and is used for roasts and steaks such as chuck roast and chuck steak. The verb to chuck means to throw or discard something.

In mechanical contexts, a chuck is a clamping device on tools such as drill presses and lathes, used to hold a workpiece or cutting tool. Common varieties include three-jaw chucks and collet chucks, which secure irregular or precise objects during machining.