dirk

Meaning

Noun

1. A long Scottish dagger with a straight blade.
2. A ceremonial dagger worn by naval or air force officers in some nations' militaries; formerly, a fighting dagger used by sailors as a boarding weapon.

Verb

To stab with a dirk.

Verb

To darken.

Synonyms

dagger

🗡️

knife

🔪

small knife

stiletto

poniard

stab

vade mecum

spike heels

text book

short sword

Daga

naval dirk

bodkin

handbook

hanger

manual

Translations

Dolch

🗡️

xencer

poignard

🗡️

puñal

daga

🗡️

dolk

🗡️

pugnale

🗡️

kahûr

deban

hançer

🗡️

ξιφίδιο

adaga

🗡️

stiletto

qeme

dague

🗡️

Pronounced as (IPA)

/dɜːk/

Etymology

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: Dolk

Cognate with Western Frisian: dolk

Cognate with Dutch: dolk

Cognate with German: Dolch

In summary

Etymology unknown, apparently from Scots dirk.
First attested in 1602 as dork, in the later 17th century as durk. The spelling dirk is due to Johnson's Dictionary of 1755.
Early quotations as well as Johnson 1755 suggest that the word is of Scottish Gaelic origin, but no such Gaelic word is known. The Gaelic name for the weapon is biodag. Gaelic duirc is merely an 18th-century adoption of the English word.
A possible derivation is from the North Germanic/Scandinavian personal name Dirk (short for Diederik), which is used of lock-picking tools (but not of knives or daggers). Alternatively a corruption of Low German Dulk, Dolk (“dagger”), ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *dalk, from Proto-Germanic *dulkaz, *dalkaz (“knife, dagger”), related to Saterland Frisian Dolk (“dagger”), West Frisian dolk (“dagger”), Dutch dolk (“dagger”), German Dolch (“dagger”).