▪ I. cark, n. Obs. or arch.
(kɑːk)
Also 4–5 carke, kark(e.
[a. AF. karke, kark, a northern F. form of carche, charche, bearing the same relation to karkier, carchier, charchier (see next), that charge does to chargier.
The pretended OE. ‘cearc, carc, care’ and its derivatives in Bosworth are baseless figments. There is no word of this form in Teutonic.]
† 1. (?) A load; a weight of 3 or 4 cwt. Obs.
| [a 1300 Riley Lib. Alb. (1859) 223 De Scawinga, Qe toutz les avers des queux serra prys custume par karke, doit le karke poysera iiii centaines..kark du grein iii centaines.] 1473 Acta Audit. 31 (Jam.), Ii tun of wad, a cark of alum, a pok of madyr. a 1502 Arnolde Chron. (1811) 99 A karke of peper. A kark of gynger. Ibid. 99 The kark therof shal wey iij. C. c 1550 Sir J. Balfour Practicks (1754) 87 (Jam.) For ane hundreth carkes of kelles at the entrie ij, at the furthcoming ii. [1637 Cowell Interpr., Carke seemeth to be a quantity of wooll whereof thirtie make a Sarpler, 27 H VI. cap. 2. [Some error—the word there is sackes.] Hence in Termes de la Ley, Blount, Phillips, Bailey, etc.] |
† 2. Charge, burden of responsibility. Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 20790 (Cott.) He wil noght tak þe cark [MS. F. charge] on him. c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 3952 This ich seuen saunfail, The cark hadde of the batayl. c 1400 Gamelyn 760, I see that al the cark schal fallen on myn heed. 1580 Babington Exp. Lord's Prayer (1596) 148 Them that haue any great cark vpon their hands. |
3. That which burdens the spirit, trouble; hence, troubled state of mind, distress, anxiety; anxious solicitude, labour, or toil. (In later use generally coupled with care.) arch.
| c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. B. 4 Fayre formez myȝt he fynde in for[þ]ering his speche & in þe contrare, kark & combraunce huge. Ibid. C. 265 He knew vche a cace [? care] and kark þat hym lymped. 1330 R. Brunne Chron. 135 He quath..fiue thousand to þe hospitale, for þei were in karke. c 1449 Pecock Repr. iii. xv. 377 This seid cark and caring & attendaunce is miche more in a man for that he hath wijf & children. 1542 Boorde Dyetary v. (1870) 240 Euer in carcke & care, for his purse wyll euer be bare. 1567 Drant Horace Epist. ii. ii, Mongst so much toyle, and such a coyle, such soking carke, and spyte. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. i. 44 Downe did lay His heavie head, devoide of careful carke. 1626 Massinger Rom. Actor ii. i, What then follows all your carke & caring? 1639 H. Ainsworth Annot. Ps. x. 3 He woundeth himselfe with his greedy carke. 1841–6 Longfellow Nuremberg xxii, The swart mechanic comes to drown his cark and care. |
† 4. Care, heed, pains. Obs.
| 1482 Monk of Evesham (Arb.) 78 The gret carke that they had of her riches..and imoderate carke of her kynnefolke. 1549 Coverdale Erasm. Par. Phil. iii. 1, I haue with muche carke and care oftentymes warned you. 1576 J. Woolton Chr. Man. 66 The cark & care which Gods Spirit..taketh that justice may overcome. 1603 Florio Montaigne i. xxiv. (1632) 61 The carke and care men tooke about good husbandry. |
▪ II. cark, v. Obs. or arch.
(kɑːk)
[ME. carke-n, karke-n, is identical in form with ONF. carkier, karkier, carquier, qarkier, later (and mod.Pic.) carker (in other dials. carcier, carchier, charchier) to load, burden:—late L. carcāre, contr. f. carricāre to load (whence came the OF. duplicate form chargier, in ONF. carguer, cargier, to charge).]
† 1. trans. To load, burden; also, to charge or impose as a charge upon. Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 8253 (Gött.) It was sua karkid [F. karked, C. cherged, T. charged], ilka bow, wid lef, and flour, and fruit, enow. Ibid. 23002 Þai sal haue na might vp to win, Sua heui carked of þair sin. 1330 R. Brunne Chron. 110 Anoþer oth..þe clergie did him karke. 1340 Ayenb. 138 Þe ilke..þet naȝt ne heþ bote þane nhicke y-carked mid zenne dyadlich. Ibid. 142 Þe milde herten y-carked mid þornes of ssarpnesse of penonce. 1393 Langl. P. Pl C. iv. 472 Shal noþer kyng ne knyȝt..Ouer-cark þe comune. |
2. To burden with care, burden as care does; to worry, harass, vex, trouble. (Mostly in pa. pple.) Obs. or arch.; but see carking ppl. a.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 5654 Þan þai ware carked [v.r. fillud] in þat land [Egypt] wit care. Ibid. 23994 (Gött.) Bot carked [C. charked, F. carkid] sua i was wid care. Ibid. 24233 Þou cark þe noght sa fast wit car. c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 4464 The king Cradelman Was soure carked and alle his man. 1830 Tennyson Dirge 8 Thee nor carketh care nor slander. |
3. intr. To be anxious, be full of anxious thought, fret oneself; to labour anxiously, to toil and moil. Obs. or arch.
| a 1400 in Wright Lyric P. xvi. 54 For hire love y carke ant care. 1530 Palsgr. 476, I carke, I care, I take thought, Je chagrine. 1556 Abp. Parker Psalter xxxvi. Argt., How he careth and carkth for his lytheir gayne. 1580 Tusser Husb. (1878) 209 To carke [ed. 1573 carp] and care, and euer bare..What life it is. 1609 Holland Amm. Marcell. xix. x. 136 Constantius..sat carking [L. curantem] and musing upon the matter. 1649 W. Blithe Eng. Improv. Impr. (1652) 79 He need neither Moyle nor Carke as he did before. a 1677 Barrow Serm. Wks. 1716 I. 54 A covetous man..carking about his bags. 1732 Berkeley Alciphr. ii. §20 Old Bubalion in the city is carking, starving, and cheating, that his son may drink, game, and keep mistresses. 1848 Kingsley Alt. Locke's Song 9 Why for sluggards cark and moil? |
† 4. In weakened sense (cf. care v.): To take thought or care, busy oneself. Obs.
| a 1375 Joseph Arim. 30 Þei carke for here herbarwe. c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. iv. 701 For boles eke now tyme is forto kark. 1602 2nd Pt. Return fr. Pernass. iii. v. (Arb.) 47 Our doting sires, Carked and cared to haue vs lettered. 1603 Engl. Mourn. Garm. in Select. fr. Harl. Misc. (1793) 207 To cark for sheep and lambs, that cannot tend themselves. |
† 5. ? (Morris explains ‘to produce’.) Obs. rare.
| 1340 Ayenb. 230 A donghel þet ne carkeþ..bote þornes and netlen. |
▪ III. cark, v.2 slang (orig. and chiefly Austral.).
Brit. /kɑːk/, U.S. /kɑrk/, Austral. /kak/
Forms: 19– cark, 19– kark
[Origin uncertain; perhaps > v. 5a), or perhaps related to carcass n.]
1. intr. To die.
| 1977 R. Beilby Gunner 302 That wog ya roughed up—well, he carked. 1980 R. Davidson Tracks 105 A need to lay a ghost..before it was too late (i.e. before I karked in the desert). 1984 Sydney Morning Herald 17 Mar. 37/8 The tradition that we thought would die hard has carked completely. |
2. trans.to cark it: to die. (Now the more common use.)
| 1982 N. Keesing Lily on Dustbin 50 A ‘stiff dunny’ is dead or, in other words ‘has carked it’. 1991 Sunday Mail (Brisbane) 3 Nov. 4/4 He turns nasty and binds her, then locks her in a shed and leaves a gas-powered lawn mower running. Will she cark it from the carbon monoxide fumes? 2001 Sunday Herald (Glasgow) 13 May (Directory) 13/3 A young squire is put out of a job when his knight carks it. |