chirk

Etymology

From Middle English chirken, cherken, charken, from Old English ċircian, ċearcian, ċærcian (“to chatter, creak; chirk, chirp”), a metathetic variant of Old English cracian (“to crack, sound, ring out, resound”), from Proto-Germanic *krakōną (“to make a noise, crack”).

Verb

chirk (third-person singular simple present chirks, present participle chirking, simple past and past participle chirked)

1. (intransitive, especially as chirk up) To become happier.
   • 1917, Sewell Ford, Wilt Thou Torchy‎:
   • 1908, Grace Livingston Hill Lutz, Marcia Schuyler‎:

     Now you jest wipe your eyes and chirk up.

   • 1894, Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), Tom Sawyer Abroad‎:

     "Go ahead," he says, and I see Jim chirk up to listen.

2. (transitive, especially as chirk up) To make happier.
   • 1912, Zona Gale, Christmas‎:

     But--" "Well, I think," said Mis' Jane Moran, "that we've hit on the only way we could have hit on to chirk each other up over a hard time."

3. To make the sound of a bird; to chirp.

Adjective

chirk (comparative chirker or more chirk, superlative chirkest or most chirk)

1. (colloquial, US, chiefly New England) lively; cheerful; in good spirits

Alternative forms

• chairk
• jirg

Etymology

From Old English cracian, ċearcian, ċiercian, from Proto-Germanic *krakōną (“to crack; crackle; shriek”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [tʃɪrk], [tʃʌrk]

Noun

chirk (plural chirks)

1. a harsh grating or creaking noise
2. (geology, North Northern Scots, Orkney, Shetland) wet gravelly subsoil

Verb

chirk (third-person singular present chirks, present participle chirkin, past chirkit, past participle chirkit)

1. to make a harsh, strident noise
2. (of a door) to creak
3. (of the teeth or gums) to gnash, rub together
4. to make a squelching noise