querk · verb — to throttle; choke; stifle; suffocate. It carries an Arena rating of 1667, earned across 20 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, querk ranks #655 of 17,171 for Funniest Words, #753 of 17,150 for Most Ingenious Words, #1,020 of 17,143 for Most Vivid Words, #1,337 of 17,134 for Most Satisfying to Say.
querk is pronounced /kwɜːk/.
Why “querk” is a great word
To throttle, choke, or suffocate; also, to grunt, groan, or sigh heavily, or to die. From Middle English querken, from Old Norse kvirkja (“to strangle”), from Proto-Germanic *kwirkijaną, from *kwerkō (“gullet, throat”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷergʷ-/*gʷerkʷ- (“throat, neck”). Unlike 'strangle,' which specifies a fatal, external constriction, or 'gasp,' which is a sharp, startled intake, to querk is the act of closure from within, the forcible stoppage of air, or else the heavy, guttural sound that escapes when breath is finally released. It is the sound of a man sinking in swamp mud, the wet rattle in a sleeping dog’s throat, the final sigh of a spent coal in the grate—the small, mortal noise that marks the border between struggle and silence.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Middle English querken (also as querkenen), from Old Norse kvirkja (“to strangle”), from Proto-Germanic *kwirkijaną, from Proto-Germanic *kwerkō (“gullet, throat”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷergʷ-, *gʷerkʷ-, *gʷerw- (“throat, neck”). Cognate with Old Frisian querka ("to strangle"; > North Frisian querke, quirke (“to querk”)), Danish kværke (“to throttle, strangle, suffocate”), Icelandic kyrkja, kvirkja (“to throttle, strangle”), Middle Low German querken (“to strangle”), Middle Low German querke, quarke (“throat, gullet”), Old High German querka, querkela (“throat, gullet”), Latin gurguliō (“throat”). More at gurgle.
verb
- To throttle; choke; stifle; suffocate.
- To grunt, croak, squeal; to moan, complain; to sigh, huff; to emit a breath forcibly, as after great exertion.
- To die.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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