kirk

See also: Kirk and kırk

English

Etymology

Inherited from Northern Middle English kyrke, from either Old Norse kirkja or Old English cirice.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kɜːk/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /kɪɾk/

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)k

Noun

kirk (plural kirks)

1. (Northern England and Scotland) A church.
   • 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:

     When she sang in the kirk, folk have told me that they had a foretaste of the musick of the New Jerusalem, and when she came in by the village of Caulds old men stottered to their doors to look at her.

   • 1941 January, C. Hamilton Ellis, “The Scottish Station”, in Railway Magazine, page 3:

     But long, long ago an enthusiastic reporter called it a "fairy palace," and the office building on the west side was once a church. Hence, in North British phraseology, to "gang tae the Kirk" meant to be had up on the carpet.

Derived terms

• Free Kirk
• Kirk Bramwith
• Kirk Hammerton
• Kirk Merrington
• Kirkmichael, Kirk Michael
• Kirk Sandall
• kirk-session
• Kirk Smeaton
• Kirkton
• kirk-town

 

Scots

Etymology

Inherited from Northern Middle English kyrke, from either Old Norse kirkja or Old English cirice.

Noun

kirk (plural kirks)

1. church
2. temple

Verb

kirk (third-person singular simple present kirks, present participle kirkin, simple past kirkit, past participle kirkit)

1. (transitive) to bring to church for burial

See also

• kirkit

References

• “kirk” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.