† therk, a. Obs.
Forms: 3 ðherk, 4–5 þerke, 5 therk, thirke, thyrke, 7 thurck, thurk.
[app. a variant of ME. derk, dark; but the change of initial d to ð, þ, is abnormal and unexplained: cf. however OS. thimm, beside OE. dim(m), OFris. dimme dim.]
= dark a.
| c 1250 Ðherk [see therkness below]. 13.. Sir Beues (A.) 2790 Til it was þe þerke niȝt. c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 204 Your byl clothyd thirke and on clene. c 1440 Jacob's Well 219 Ffyve cytees schal be in þe lond of thirknes spekyng wyth a chaungyng tunge. Þis is for to saye, ffyve citees schal be in the therk body of man. c 1450 Cov. Myst. xvii. (1841) 170 To marre ȝow in a thyrke myste. a 1682 Sir T. Browne Tracts viii. (1684) 146 Words..of common use in Norfolk..as..Thurck. 1691 Ray S. & E.C. Words, Tharky adj., ‘very tharky’, very dark. Suff... Thurk, Norf. Ibid. Pref. 5 Thurk is plainly from the Saxon deorc, dark. |
Hence † therk v. Obs. (3 þirk) = dark v.; † ˈtherkness Obs., darkness.
| c 1275 Lay. 11973 Þirkede vnder sonne Þustrede þe wolkne. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 3102 Ðhikke ðherknesse cam on ðat lond. c 1440 [see above]. c 1485 Digby Myst. iii. 773 Owt of þe ded slep of therknesse de-fend vs aye! |