starkers
English
Etymology
- "naked": British slang, from 1923, combining (like a popular etymology) two meanings of stark (“strong, utterly; barren”) with stark naked, which is from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old English steort (“tail”), referring to the tail-end (as in butt-naked).
- "crazy": stark (“shortening of stark raving mad”) + -ers
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 298: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "RP" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈstɑːkəz/
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 298: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "US" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. enPR: stärʹkərz, IPA(key): /ˈstɑɹkɚz/
Audio (UK): (file)
Adjective
starkers (not comparable)
- (chiefly British, slang) Completely nude.
- Entering the bathroom, I found Bill there, still starkers after his bath.
- (informal) Stark raving mad.
Synonyms
- see Thesaurus:nude
Antonyms
Related terms
Translations
completely nude
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References
- Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “stark”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.