Irk

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɜːk/

Definitions

1. To cause someone to feel annoyed, irritated, or displeased
2. To provoke a feeling of mild anger or frustration in someone
3. To cause discomfort or bother by persistent inconvenience or disturbance

Etymology: The verb "irk" is one of English's odd survivors: it appears in Middle English, then seems to vanish for centuries, and returns with a sense that its ancestors would hardly recognise. Its older relatives point to work and effort. Old English "wyrċan" meant "to work," and the same family gave Icelandic "yrkja," meaning "to compose" (as in shaping verse), and Swedish "yrka," meaning "to urge" or "argue." The common thread is the idea of exertion, of working at something or pressing it on someone. English "irk" carries that sense of pressing in an unexpected direction. Its earliest meaning was closer to "to weary or tire," the wearing down that comes from prolonged effort. Over time that fatigue turned into irritation, the feeling of being worn down by something tedious or persistent, and the word settled on today's mild annoyance. A word about labour thus ended up describing the mood of someone who has had enough of a task.

Synonyms: annoy, irritate, bother, vex, peeve

Antonyms: please, delight, satisfy, comfort, reassure