ENGLISH
REFERENCE

irk

v.
US //ˈɝk// UK //ˈɜːk// irk
Synonyms
Origin

Inherited from Middle English irken (“to tire, grow weary”), from Old Norse yrkja (“to work”), from Proto-Germanic wurkijaną (“to work”), from Proto-Indo-European werǵ- (“to work”). Cognate with Icelandic yrkja (“to compose”), Swedish yrka (“to urge, argue”), Old English wyrċan (“to work”). Doublet of work.

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