cork

¹

[ kawrk ]

noun

1. the spongy layer of bark of the cork oak, used for making a wide range of products, including bottle stoppers, beverage coasters, fishing rod handles, bulletin boards, sound and heat insulation, and flooring materials.
2. cork oak ( def ).
3. something made of cork, as produced from the spongy bark of the cork oak:

   Bring that cork in here—we’re using it as a dartboard.

4. a piece of cork, rubber, or the like used as a stopper, as for a bottle:

   The cork you gave me is too large for this jug.

5. Angling. a small float to buoy up a fishing line or to indicate that a fish is biting:

   When the cork starts bobbing, you’ve got a fish!

6. Also called phellem, suber. Botany. an outer tissue of bark produced by and exterior to the phellogen.

verb (used with object)

1. to stop with or as if with a cork (often followed by up ):

   The bottles are mechanically corked, two dozen at a time.

   Cork these up and put them back in the cooler.

2. to provide or fit with cork or a cork:

   They’re tiling floors and corking walls in her new studio.

3. to blacken with burnt cork:

   During war games, they learned to cork their faces when operating under moonlight.

Cork

²

[ kawrk ]

noun

1. a county in Munster province, in S Republic of Ireland. 2,881 sq. mi. (7,460 sq. km).
2. a seaport in and the county seat of Cork, in the S part.

Cork

¹

/ kɔːk /

noun

1. a county of SW Republic of Ireland, in Munster province: crossed by ridges of low mountains; scenic coastline. County town: Cork. Pop: 447 829 (2002). Area: 7459 sq km (2880 sq miles)
2. a city and port in S Republic of Ireland, county town of Co Cork, at the mouth of the River Lee: seat of the University College of Cork (1849). Pop: 186 239 (2002)

cork

²

/ kɔːk /

noun

1. the thick light porous outer bark of the cork oak, used widely as an insulator and for stoppers for bottles, casks, etc
2. a piece of cork or other material used as a stopper
3. an angling float
4. Also calledphellem botany a protective layer of dead impermeable cells on the outside of the stems and roots of woody plants, produced by the outer layer of the cork cambium

adjective

1. made of cork suberose

verb

1. to stop up (a bottle, cask, etc) with or as if with a cork; fit with a cork
2. often foll by up to restrain

   to cork up the emotions

3. to black (the face, hands, etc) with burnt cork

cork

/ kôrk /

1. The outermost layer of tissue in woody plants that is resistant to the passage of water vapor and gases and that becomes the bark. Cork is secondary tissue, formed on the outside of the tissue layer known as cork cambium . The cell walls of cork cells contain suberin. Once they mature, cork cells die.
2. Also called phellem
3. The lightweight, elastic outer bark of the cork oak, which grows near the Mediterranean Sea. Cork is used for bottle stoppers, insulation, and other products.

Derived Forms

• ˈcorkˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• re·cork verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of cork¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English cork(e), of disputed origin; perhaps via Dutch or German from Old Spanish alcorque “cork shoe,” ultimately from dialectal Arabic qurq, perhaps from Latin quercus “oak” ( fir ( def ) ); alternatively, instead from Spanish corcho, from Mozarabic, from Latin cortex “bark” ( cortex ( def ) )

Word History and Origins

Origin of cork¹

C14: probably from Arabic qurq, from Latin cortex bark, especially of the cork oak

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. blow / pop one's cork, Informal. to lose one's temper; release one's emotional or physical tension.

Example Sentences

When I first pulled the cork, my initial impression was of green under-ripeness, but that disappeared within about 15 minutes.

From Washington Post

Tyler Reith of Greenhome Solutions recommended cork for its thermal, vibrational, and acoustic-insulating properties.

From Outside Online

If Frank Lloyd Wright had a van today, you can bet there’d be cork in it.

From Outside Online

As for the floor insulation, we ordered cork rolls from Manton.

From Outside Online

Enter Workvivo, a Cork, Ireland-based employee experience startup that is backed by Zoom founder Eric Yuan and Tiger Global that has steadily grown over 200% over the past year.

From TechCrunch

In fact, Viagra was originally developed in County Cork, Ireland with the intention of improving blood flow to the heart.

From The Daily Beast

The floors were softened by cork tiles, the walls by Philippine mahogany paneling.

From The Daily Beast

Eyebrows Cressida: Imagine eyebrows drawn on a balloon with a blackened cork.

From The Daily Beast

The two move from Vermont, where Fred worked in corporate training, to County Cork.

From The Daily Beast

Their nanny is from Cork, Ireland, and she is amazing and hilarious.

From The Daily Beast

And the deep grave weltering below you, and only a ring of cork and oilskin to keep you out of that cold home.

From Project Gutenberg

But no sooner was she full than the discharging tubes freed her, and she rose again and again, buoyant as a cork.

From Project Gutenberg

Perrott went to Cork, where the sessions were well attended and where he executed sixty more persons.

From Project Gutenberg

He married the eldest daughter of the Earl of Cork, by whom he had a son and a daughter.

From Project Gutenberg

Cork and Cloyne were united in the fifteenth century, and Dominic Tirrey was appointed in 1536.

From Project Gutenberg