Etymology Map
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Irk

3 stages from Old Norse to English.

Today it means to irritate or annoy

Where does the word "irk" come from? It comes from Old Norse yrkja, passing through Middle English before entering English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
yrkja
Old Norse · medieval
"to work"
to work; the likeliest source, though the link is uncertain
2
Stage 2 of 3
irken
Middle English · 1400s
"to weary"
to grow tired or weary
3
Stage 3 of 3
irk
English · 1500s
"to annoy"
came to mean to annoy; 'irksome' is recorded from the 1510s
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Read the full story

Irk’s story begins in Old Norse: yrkja meant “to work.” To work; the likeliest source, though the link is uncertain. By 1400s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as irken. To grow tired or weary. It reached English by 1500s as irk. Came to mean to annoy; 'irksome' is recorded from the 1510s. Today, irk means to irritate or annoy.