irk
pronunciation
How to pronounce irk in British English:
UK [ɜ:k]
How to pronounce irk in American English:
US [ɜrk]
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- Verb:
- irritate or vex
Word Origin
- irk
- irk: [13] Irk originally meant ‘grow tired’, and although it is not known for certain, its underlying sense could be ‘work until one is weary’: for a possible source may be Old Norse yrkja ‘work’. The present-day sense ‘annoy’ is first recorded in the 15th century.
- irk (v.)
- mid-15c., irken "be weary of, be disgusted with;" earlier intransitive, "to feel weary" (early 14c.). Of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Old Norse yrkja "work" (from PIE root *werg- "to work;" see organ), or Middle High German erken "to disgust." Modern sense of "annoy" is from late 15c. An adjective, irk "weary, tired" is attested from c. 1300 in northern and midlands writing.
Example
- 1. Some cases particularly irk the left ( see table ) .
- 2. Before the irk planted him here .
- 3. Such an approach might irk japan .
- 4. Tariffs may irk price-conscious consumers but at least they raise revenue for the public coffers .
- 5. It 's fine to have a normal meal too , nutritional fundamentalists really irk me .