murk

murk · adjective¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*mergʷ-“to flicker; to darken; to be dark”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*merkuz“dark”
3. Old Norse · derived frommyrkr“dark, murky”
4. Old English · inherited frommirce
5. Middle English · inherited frommerke
6. English todaymurk

From Middle English merke, mirke, from Old English mirce, myrce (“dark, gloomy, evil”) and Old Norse myrkr (“dark, murky”), both from Proto-Germanic *merkuz (“dark”), from Proto-Indo-European *mergʷ- (“to flicker; to darken; to be dark”). Cognate Danish mørk (“dark”), Norwegian mørk (“dark”), Swedish mörk (“dark”), Icelandic myrkur (“dark”), as also Albanian murg (“dark”), Proto-Slavic *morkъ (“darkness”), Lithuanian márgas (“multicolored”), murzinas (“dirty, spoiled”), Ancient Greek ἀμορβός (amorbós, “dark”).

murk · noun²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*mergʷ-“to flicker; to darken; to be dark”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*merkwą
3. Old Norse · derived frommyrkr“darkness, gloom”
4. Old English · inherited frommirce
5. Middle English · inherited frommirke
6. English todaymurk

From Middle English mirke, merke, from Old English mirce, myrce (“darkness, gloom”) and Old Norse myrkr (“darkness, gloom”), both from Proto-Germanic *merkwą, *mirkwiz (“darkness”), Proto-Indo-European *mergʷ- (“to flicker; to darken; to be dark”).

murk · verb³

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*mergʷ-“to flicker; to darken; to be dark”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*mirkwijaną
3. Old Norse · derived frommyrkja
4. Middle English · inherited frommirken
5. English todaymurk

From Middle English mirken, probably from Old Norse myrkja, myrkva (“to make dark, darken”), from Proto-Germanic *mirkwijaną, *mirkwajaną (“to make dark”), from Proto-Indo-European *mergʷ- (“to flicker; to darken; to be dark”).

murk · verb⁴

Possibly an alteration of merc, from clipping of mercenary. First attested in the 1990s.