Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

querk

/kwɜːk/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables
querk
IPA
/kwɜːk/
18
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To throttle; choke; stifle; suffocate.

Transitive verb

verb

To grunt, croak, squeal; to moan, complain; to sigh, huff; to emit a breath forcibly, as after great exertion.

Intransitive verb

verb

To die.

Intransitive verb

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.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: querken, kvirkja, *kwirkijaną, *kwerkō, *gʷergʷ-

Regional Pronunciation

  • British English: /kwɜːk/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Homonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce querk?
The recorded pronunciation is /kwɜːk/.
What does querk mean?
To throttle; choke; stifle; suffocate.
Where does querk come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce querk

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “querk”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/kwɜːk/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “querk”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “querk” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.