English
irk
Irk comes from Middle English irken ‘to tire, grow weary’, from Old Norse yrkja ‘to work’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *werǵ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*werǵ-‘to work’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wurkijaną‘to work’reconstructed
- Proto-Norsec. 200–800 CEworahtotransliteratedrunes ᚹᛟᚱᚨᚺᛏᛟreconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350yrkja‘to work’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500irken‘to tire, grow weary’
- Englishearliest quotation 1905irk
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*werǵ-‘to work’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wurkijaną‘to work’reconstructed
- Proto-Norsec. 200–800 CEworahtotransliteratedrunes ᚹᛟᚱᚨᚺᛏᛟreconstructed
- Old Norsec. 800–1350yrkja‘to work’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500irken‘to tire, grow weary’
- Englishearliest quotation 1905irk
Earliest quotation: 1905, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett: “Let no man pray to Māna-Yood-Sushāī, for who shall…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *werǵ- ‘to work’
energy, working, organic, wright, organ, energetic, boulevard, orgasm, allergy, wrought, liturgy, metallurgy, argon, erg, bulwark, werk, wark, irksome, 21 more
through Proto-Germanic *wurkijaną ‘to work’
Today it means
verb to irritate; annoy; bother
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *werǵ- / irk