Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “serk” come from?

serk (Middle English) comes from Old English serc, from Proto-West Germanic sarki, from Proto-Germanic sarkiz, from Proto-Indo-European swerg-, from Proto-Indo-European sēr-, from Proto-Indo-European ser- — to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together.

serk (Middle English): A shirt used as an undergarment

Definitions

  1. A shirt used as an undergarment

Ancestry of “serk”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishsercshirt, coat of mail
2Proto-West Germanicsarkisark, shirt
3Proto-Germanicsarkizsark, shirt; coat of mail
4Proto-Indo-Europeanswerg-—
5Proto-Indo-Europeansēr-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanser-to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together

Words derived from “serk”

  • sark
  • baresark
  • sark
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser- →