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

"After all," he said, "it is well known that Kate Forbes is a member of the free kirk, and there are certain things that logically, implicitly flow from that."

From BBC • Feb. 21, 2023

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

From Salon • Feb. 14, 2022

All night once he had played the kirk organ while she blew the bellows.

From Time Magazine Archive

I lived then down by the kirk in the clachan, and there I was born, and the wee village was quieter far in those days than it is even now.

From Kenneth McAlpine A Tale of Mountain, Moorland and Sea by Stables, Gordon