kirk

¹ American  

[kurk, kirk] / kɜrk, kɪrk /

noun

1. Chiefly Scot. and North England. a church.

2. the Kirk, the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian), as distinguished from the Church of England or the Scottish Episcopal Church.

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Kirk ² American  

[kurk] / kɜrk /

noun

1. Grayson (Louis), 1903–1997, U.S. educator: president of Columbia University 1953–68.

2. a male given name.

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kirk ¹ British  

/ kɜːk, kɪrk /

noun

1. a Scot word for church

2. a Scottish church

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Kirk ² British  

/ kɜːk, kɪrk /

noun

1. informal the Presbyterian Church of Scotland

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Kirk ³ British  

/ kɜːk /

noun

1. Norman. 1923–74, prime minister of New Zealand (1972–74)

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Other Word Forms

• kirklike adjective

Etymology

Origin of kirk

1150–1200; Middle English (north and Scots ) < Old Norse kirkja church

Example Sentences

The 15th Century kirk, which stands next to Linlithgow Palace, was a place of royal worship and the site of Mary Queen of Scots' baptism.

From BBC • Oct. 12, 2024

About 100 people from all aspects of Scottish life will take part in the cavalcade along the Royal Mile, arriving at the historic kirk at about 13:30.

From BBC • Jul. 4, 2023

"How is charlie kirk 28?," chimed Hanna Gais, a senior research analyst at the Southern Poverty Law Center.

From Salon • Feb. 14, 2022

As an air officer, his job will also be to try to effect an ending to the Tunisian campaign which is less bloody than Dun kirk, less shocking to Germans than the failure at Stalingrad.

From Time Magazine Archive

The former situate in Sydney Street, was built in 1850, and Rev. Dr. Thompson, afterwards an eminent divine of New York, was its first pastor, and preached the opening sermon in the new kirk.

From The Story of the Great Fire in St. John, N.B., June 20th, 1877 by Stewart, George