irk
[urk]
- to irritate, annoy, or exasperate: It irked him to wait in line.
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Origin of irk
1300–50; Middle English irken to grow tired, tire < Old Norse yrkja to work, cognate with Old English wyrcan; see work
Synonyms
See more synonyms for irk on Thesaurus.comchafe, fret, bother; tire.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for irk
Contemporary Examples
But sometimes he veers into territory that could irk staunch patriots.
Historical Examples
I asked Strickland if it did not irk him to live in that promiscuity.
The Moon and SixpenceW. Somerset Maugham
More to her spouse she is dear and less she's irk to her parents.
The Carmina of Caius Valerius CatullusCaius Valerius Catullus
He was the founder and teacher of the body of legists known as 'the jurists of Irk.'
The Faith of IslamEdward Sell
The firmament possesses but one sun, and the land of Irk but one king.
The Adventures of Hajji Baba of IspahanJames Morier
But my disguise begins to irk me: who will lend me a good suit?
The Plays of W. E. Henley and R. L. StevensonRobert Louis Stevenson
irk
- (tr) to irritate, vex, or annoy
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Word Origin
C13 irken to grow weary; probably related to Old Norse yrkja to work
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for irk
v.
mid-15c., irken "be weary of, be disgusted with;" earlier intransitive, "to feel weary" (early 14c.). Of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Old Norse yrkja "work" (from PIE root *werg- "to work;" see urge (v.)), or Middle High German erken "to disgust." Modern sense of "annoy" is from late 15c. An adjective, irk "weary, tired" is attested from c.1300 in northern and midlands writing.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper