stirk

[ sturk ]

/ stɜrk /

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noun British.

a young bull or cow, especially one in its second year.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of stirk

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English stirc “calf,” equivalent to stir- (akin to steer²) + suffixal -c (see -ock)

Words nearby stirk

stir, stirabout, stir-crazy, stir-fried, stir-fry, stirk, Stirling, Stirling engine, Stirling's formula, Stirlingshire, stirp

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stirk in a sentence

A bullet struck Corporal Stirk in the head just as he was lifting the man on to Caffrey's back.
The Childrens' Story of the War, Volume 4 (of 10)|James Edward Parrott
At once the gallant private put down his burden, bandaged Stirk, and helped him into safety.
The Childrens' Story of the War, Volume 4 (of 10)|James Edward Parrott
Sturk, stirk, sterk; a heifer or bullock about two years old: a pig three or four months old.
English As We Speak It in Ireland|P. W. Joyce
"Thank you," said she very dryly, and she left me in the middle of the road, like a stirk.
The Shoes of Fortune|Neil Munro

"Ye were aye a dumb stirk at Clydebank," Macallister said to him.
The Coast of Adventure|Harold Bindloss

British Dictionary definitions for stirk

stirk

/ (stɜːk) /

noun

a heifer of 6 to 12 months old

a yearling heifer or bullock

Word Origin for stirk

Old English stierc; related to Middle Low German sterke, Old High German stero ram, Latin sterilis sterile, Greek steira; see steer ²

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012