English
stirk
Stirk comes from Old English stīrc ‘calf, a stirk, a young bullock or a heifer’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *steuraz ‘steer’.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*steuraz‘steer’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*stiurikaz‘bullock’reconstructeddiminutive of *steuraz
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*stiurikreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150stīrc‘calf, a stirk, a young bullock or a heifer’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500stirk
- Englishearliest quotation 1827stirk
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*steuraz‘steer’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*stiurikaz‘bullock’reconstructeddiminutive of *steuraz
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*stiurikreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150stīrc‘calf, a stirk, a young bullock or a heifer’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500stirk
- Englishearliest quotation 1827stirk
Earliest quotation: 1827, Walter Scott: “But beware of MacPhadraick, my son; for when he…”
Formed from steer + -ock
Proto-Germanic *stiurijō ‘steering, rudder’
Proto-Germanic *stiurijaną ‘to steer’
Proto-West Germanic *stiurijan ‘to steer’
Old English stēoran ‘to steer’
Middle English steeren
English steer
Linked words
through Proto-Germanic *steuraz ‘steer’
Today it means
noun A yearling cow; a young bullock or heifer.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *steuraz / stirk