Where does “kirk” come from?

Kirk comes from Old Norse kirkja, from Ancient Greek κυριακόν, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱēw-, meaning to swell or curve.

kirk (English): a church

Definitions

  1. a church

Ancestry of “kirk”, step by step

kirk traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Norse kirkja

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsekirkjachurch
2Old Englishċiriċechurch
3Proto-West Germanickirikāchurch
4Ancient Greekκυριακόνchurch
5Ancient GreekΚύριοςLord
6Proto-Hellenic*kúrioslord, master

via Old English cirice

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishciricechurch

Words derived from “kirk”

Every word from Proto-Hellenic *kúrios →Every word from Ancient Greek Κύριος →Every word from Ancient Greek κυριακόν →