chirk

From Middle English chirken, cherken, charken, from Old English ċearcian (“to chatter, creak, crash”), from Proto-West Germanic *krakōn, from Proto-Germanic *krakċną (“to make a sound, crack”). Doublet of chark. Related also to crake, crack.

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.
2. (transitive, especially as "chirk up") To make happier.
3. To make the sound of a bird; to chirp.

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

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

• The comparative and superlative forms of chirky — chirkier and chirkiest — are sometimes used suppletively as comparative and superlative forms of chirk.

• chairk, jirg

From Middle English cherkin, from Old English ċearcian, ċiercian, variant forms of Old English cracian, from Proto-West Germanic *krakōn, from Proto-Germanic *krakōną (“to crack; crackle; shriek”).

Cognate with English chirk. Doublet of chork, crak, crake, and jarg. The noun is derived from the verb.

• IPA^(key): [tʃɪrk], [tʃʌrk]

chirk (plural chirks)

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

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

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

• chirker (“house-cricket”)