Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “irken” come from?

irken (Middle English) comes from Old Norse yrkja, from Proto-Germanic wurkijaną, from Proto-Indo-European werǵ- — to make.

irken (Middle English): to tire, grow weary

Definitions

  1. to tire, grow weary

Ancestry of “irken”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norseyrkjato work
2Proto-Germanicwurkijanąto work, to do work; to make
3Proto-Indo-Europeanwerǵ-to make

Words derived from “irken”

  • irk
  • irketh
  • irky
Every word from Proto-Indo-European werǵ- →