shirk
[ shurk ]
/ ʃɜrk /
verb (used with object)
to evade (work, duty, responsibility, etc.).
verb (used without object)
to evade work, duty, etc.
noun
a shirker.
RELATED WORDS
pussyfoot, fence, cheat, sidestep, goldbrick, elude, slip, duck, creep, quit, bypass, dodge, slink, lurk, sneak, parry, malinger, snake, shun, skulk
Nearby words
- shiraz,
- shire,
- shire highlands,
- shire horse,
- shirer,
- shirker,
- shirleen,
- shirley,
- shirley poppy,
- shirley temple
Origin of shirk
First recorded in 1625–35; obscurely akin to shark2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for shirk
shirk
1/ (ʃɜːk) /
verb
to avoid discharging (work, a duty, etc); evade
noun Also: shirker
a person who shirks
Word Origin for shirk
C17: probably from German Schurke rogue; see shark ²
noun
Islam
- the fundamental sin of regarding anything as equal to Allah
- any belief that is considered to be in opposition to Allah and Islam
Word Origin for shirk
from Arabic: association
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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shirk
1630s, "to practice fraud or trickery," also a noun (1630s, now obsolete) "a needy, disreputable parasite" [OED], perhaps from German schurke "scoundrel, rogue, knave, villain" (see shark (n.)). Sense of "evade one's work or duty" first recorded 1785, originally in slang. Related: Shirked; shirking.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper