shalk

S1H4A1L1K5
/ʃɔːk/

noun

A servant.

OriginMiddle English schalk ← Old English scealc ← Proto-West Germanic *skalk →
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Meanings

nounshalk (plural shalks)

plural shalks · alternative schalk · alternative schak · alternative schaik · alternative shack

  1. obsoleteA servant.
  2. UKdialectalA man; fellow.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
man

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)kelH-“to cleave, separate, part, divide”
  2. Proto-Germanic*skalkaz“servant, knight”
  3. Proto-West Germanic*skalk
  4. Old Englishscealc“servant; man, soldier, sailor”
  5. Middle Englishschalk
  6. Englishshalk

From Middle English schalk, scalk, from Old English scealc (“servant; man, soldier, sailor”), from Proto-West Germanic *skalk, from Proto-Germanic *skalkaz (“servant, knight”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to cleave, separate, part, divide”). Cognate with German Schalk (“joker”), Old Norse skálkr (“servant, rogue”) ( > Danish and Swedish skalk), Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌻𐌺𐍃 (skalks, “servant”).

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with shalk

talkwalkhawkoverstockchalkstalkawkaukbalkcaulksquawkmawkdawkyawkby a long chalkcocktail forkpawkpickle forkPisok
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

shalk. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shalk

MLA

“shalk.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shalk. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shalk,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shalk.

Source: shalk on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.