berk

See also: Berk and bərk

English

Etymology

The usage dates from the 1930s; berk is a shortened version of Berkeley Hunt, the hunt based at Berkeley Castle, in Gloucestershire. In Cockney rhyming slang, hunt is a rhyme for cunt, giving the word its original slang meaning.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /bɜː(ɹ)k/
  • Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)k
  • Homophone: birk

In both Berkeley and Berkshire, berk is pronounced in RP like bark (IPA(key): /bɑː(ɹ)k/). In other cases such as Cockney and American English pronunciation, it rhymes with work.

Noun

berk (plural berks)

  1. (Britain, slang, pejorative, sometimes affectionate) A fool, prat, twit.
  2. (Cockney rhyming slang, vulgar) Cunt.

Usage notes

Not perceived as excessively rude, perhaps because its origin in rhyming slang is not well known.

See also

References

  • Chambers Dictionary: Entry for berk
  • Cassell's Dictionary of Slang. Jonathon Green. Pub. Cassel & Co. →ISBN

Anagrams

Albanian

Etymology 1

From berr (cf. derk from derr).

Noun

berk m

  1. goat

Etymology 2

From Proto-Albanian *bardz(i)ka, from *bardza > bardhë (“white”). Similar sense development as in barmë[1].

Noun

berk m (indefinite plural berkë, definite singular berku, definite plural berkët)

  1. bast

References

  1. ↑ Orel, Vladimir (1998), “berk”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, page 21

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch berke, from Old Dutch *berka, from Proto-Germanic *berkō.

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -ɛrk
  • audio(file)

Noun

berk m (plural berken, diminutive berkje n)

  1. birch

Turkish

Etymology

From Old Turkic [script needed] (bérk), from Proto-Turkic *berk (“mighty”), possibly derived from Proto-Altaic *parki (“mighty, brave”). Related to pek.

Adjective

berk

  1. strong, hard, robust, violent
  2. heroic
  3. firm, solid

Synonyms

References

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.