English
quirk
Quirk may come from Middle English *querk.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*querkuncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1605quirk
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*querkuncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1605quirk
Earliest quotation: 1605, Ben[jamin] Jonson: “Had you no quirk / To avoid gullage, sir,…”
first attested First attested in the 1540s (as stated in the etymology)
The story
First attested in the 1540s. Likely not related to queer.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷerh₃- ‘to devour’
gorge, devour, voracious, herbivorous, gurgle, ouroboros, 25 more
Today it means
noun An idiosyncrasy; a slight glitch, a mannerism; something unusual about the manner or style of something or someone.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English *querk / quirk