cork
/kɔɹk/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.71 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The dead protective tissue between the bark and cambium in woody plants, with suberin deposits making it impervious to gasses and water.
Uncountable
noun
The dead protective tissue between the bark and cambium in woody plants, with suberin deposits making it impervious to gasses and water.
Countable; Uncountable
verb
To leave the cork in a bottle after attempting to uncork it.
Example Sentences
- "I confess my confidence was shaken by these actions, though I knew well enough that his leg was no more cork than my own"
- "Because cork is porous, it expands and contracts with changes in humidity."
- "Snobs feel it's hard to call it wine with a straight face when the cork is made of plastic."
- "2014, Paul Salopek, Blessed. Cursed. Claimed., National Geographic (December 2014)https://web.archive.org/web/20150212214621/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/12/pilgrim-roads/salopek-text Arms draped on shoulders, kick-stepping in circles, they swing bottles of wine. Purpled thumbs cork the bottles. The wine leaps and jumps behind green glass."
- "He corked his bat, which was discovered when it broke, causing a controversy."
- "Apparently I used to have some good power even though I was little, but the team we were playing against thought I had corked the bat. I kid you not! They paid $200 to have the bat popped off to prove they were right."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- Proto-Indo-European *(s)kert- Proto-Indo-European *(s)kort-ek-sder. Latin cortexder.? ▲ Latin cortexder. Mozarabic *kórčo, *kórčeder.? Spanish corchobor. Middle Dutch curcder. Middle English cork English cork From Middle English cork (“oak bark, cork”), from Middle Dutch curc (“cork (material or object)”), either from Spanish corcho (“cork (material or object)”) (also corcha or corche) or from Old Spanish alcorque (“cork sole”). Doublet of cortex.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: cork, curc, corcho, alcorque, Corcaigh
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /kɔɹk/
- British English: /kɔːk/