ker-


an unstressed syllable prefixed to onomatopoeic and other expressive words, usually forming adverbs or interjections: kerflop; kerplunk; ker-splosh.
Also ca-, ka-.

Origin of ker-

perhaps < Scots dialect car-, cur-, currie- (as in carfuffle, carwhuffle to disarrange, carnaptious irritable, curriebuction a confused gathering, etc.), based on car, earlier ker left (hand or side) < Scots Gaelic cearr wrong, awkward, left-handed (compare MIr cerr crooked, maimed); variants without r probably reflect forms in r-less dialects