shirk

English

Etymology 1

First attested use in 1625–1635, apparently from association with shark (verb form), or from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] German Schurke (“rogue, knave”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: shûk, IPA^(key): /ʃɜːk/
• enPR: shûrk, IPA^(key): /ʃɝk/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(r)k

Verb

shirk (third-person singular simple present shirks, present participle shirking, simple past and past participle shirked)

1. (transitive) To avoid, especially a duty, responsibility, etc.; to stay away from.
   • Hare

     the usual makeshift by which they try to shirk difficulties

2. (intransitive) To evade an obligation; to avoid the performance of duty, as by running away.

   If you have a job, don't shirk from it by staying off work.

   • Byron

     One of the cities shirked from the league.

3. (transitive) To procure by petty fraud and trickery; to obtain by mean solicitation.
   • Bishop Rainbow

     You that never heard the call of any vocation, […] that shirk living from others, but time from yourselves.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:shirk

Translations

avoid a duty

• Chinese:

  Min Nan: liu1-kiang1

• Dutch: ontduiken (nl), zich drukken, zijn plicht ontlopen
• Finnish: pinnata (fi)
• French: esquiver (fr), éviter (fr), se défiler (fr)
• Georgian: თავს არიდებს (tavs aridebs)
• German: sich drücken (de), umgehen (de), meiden (de), ausweichen (de), aus dem Weg gehen, kneifen (de)
• Greek: λουφάρω (el) (loufáro)
• Icelandic: koma sér undan
• Italian: scansare (it), sottrarsi (it), dare buca, eludere (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Maori: whakataha, whakatataha
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: skulke (no)

  Nynorsk: skulka, skulke

• Portuguese: esquivar (pt)
• Russian: сачкова́ть (ru) (sačkovátʹ) (colloquial), ло́дырничать (ru) (lódyrničatʹ), безде́льничать (ru) (bezdélʹničatʹ), уви́ливать (ru) (uvílivatʹ) (от обя́занностей), уклоня́ться (ru) (uklonjátʹsja) (от обя́занностей)
• Spanish: correrse (es), evadir (es), escaquearse (es), remolonear (es), ponerse al socaire
• Swedish: smita från, undvika (sv)
• Vietnamese: trốn tránh

Noun

shirk (plural shirks)

1. one who shirks

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Arabic شِرْك (širk).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃɪɾk/

Noun

shirk (uncountable)

1. (Islam) the unforgivable sin of idolatry

Related terms

• mushrik

Anagrams

• Krish