sulk

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sʌlk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌlk

Etymology 1

Back-formation from sulky, of uncertain origin. Probably from Middle English *sulke, *solke (attested in solcenesse (“idleness; laziness”), from Old English āsolcennys (“idleness; slothfulness; sluggishness; laziness”), from āsolcen (“sulky, languid”), from past participle of Old English āseolcan (“be slow; be weak or slothful; languish”), from Proto-Germanic *selkaną (“to fall in drops; dribble; droop”), from Proto-Indo-European *sélǵ-o-nom, from *selǵ- (“to let go, send”). Cognate with several Indo-Iranian words deriving from Proto-Indo-Iranian *sarȷ́- (such as Sanskrit सृजति (sṛjáti), सर्जति (sarjati), सर्जन (sárjana), सृक (sṛká)), possibly Hittite 𒊭𒀠𒀝𒍣 (ša-al-ak-zi /⁠šalkzi⁠/, “knead, mix”), although the semantic connection is weak.

Verb

sulk (third-person singular simple present sulks, present participle sulking, simple past and past participle sulked)

1. (intransitive) To express ill humor or offence by remaining sullenly silent or withdrawn.
   • 1886 May 1 – July 31, Robert Louis Stevenson, Kidnapped, being Memoirs of the Adventures of David Balfour in the Year 1751: […], London, Paris: Cassell & Company, published 1886, →OCLC:

     Mr. Riach, who had been to the college, spoke to me like a friend when he was not sulking, and told me many curious things, […]

   • 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 1]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:

     You crossed her last wish in death and yet you sulk with me because I don’t whinge like some hired mute from Lalouette’s.

Usage notes

Not to be confused with skulk.

Synonyms

• mope

Related terms

• sulker
• sulkily
• sulkiness
• sulky

Translations

to express ill humor or offence by remaining sullenly silent or withdrawn

• Azerbaijani: darılmaq
• Belarusian: крыўдзіцца (kryŭdzicca), кавезіцца (kavjezicca)
• Bulgarian: муся се (musja se), цупя се (cupja se)
• Catalan: emmurriar-se (ca), enfurrunyar-se (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 撅嘴 (juēzuǐ), 噘 (zh) (juē), 幽憤／幽愤 (zh) (yōufèn)

• Czech: trucovat (cs)
• Danish: surmule
• Dutch: sikkeneurig zijn, mokken (nl), pruilen (nl)
• Esperanto: paŭti
• Finnish: murjottaa (fi), mököttää (fi), jurnuttaa (fi)
• French: bouder (fr), faire la gueule (fr)
• German: schmollen (de)
• Greek: μουτρώνω (el) (moutróno), σκυθρωπιάζω (el) (skythropiázo), κατσουφιάζω (el) (katsoufiázo)
• Hebrew: זעף (he) (za'af)
• Hungarian: duzzog (hu)
• Italian: fare l'offeso, tenere il muso, tenere il broncio, imbronciarsi, piangersi addosso
• Japanese: 拗ねる (ja) (すねる, suneru), やさぐれる (ja) (yasagureru)
• Korean: 실쭉거리다 (ko) (siljjukgeorida)
• Maori: whakamoroki, whakamotutoke, whakakeke
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: furte (no), surmule

  Nynorsk: furte, surmule

• Occitan: fonhar, far lo morre (oc), chorrar (oc)
• Persian: قهر (fa) (qahr)
• Polish: obrażać się impf, dąsać się impf, boczyć się
• Portuguese: amuar (pt), estar mal-humorado estar de mau humor, ficar emburrado m
• Romanian: îmbufnat (ro)
• Russian: ду́ться (ru) (dútʹsja), ку́кситься (ru) (kúksitʹsja)
• Slovak: opúchať sa, fúkať sa, odúvať sa
• Spanish: enfurruñarse (es), amohinarse (es)
• Swedish: tjura (sv)
• Tagalog: tampo
• Turkish: küsmek (tr), darılmak (tr), gücenmek (tr), surat asmak (tr) (figurative)
• Ukrainian: ду́тися impf (dútysja)
• Vietnamese: hờn dỗi (vi)

Noun

sulk (plural sulks)

1. A state of sulking.
   • 1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy:

     He thanks our miserable Liberal agent, an unbeliever called Donald Somebody, see the caption, who since the court's arrival on his territory has retired into a fuming sulk from which he has only tonight emerged.

   • 2012, Harriet S. Caswell, Walter Harland Or, Memories of the Past, tredition, →ISBN:

     " […] home during the holidays," said the Doctor with a good-humoured laugh, "but a fit of the sulks is no very uncommon thing for him;" and then he added, […]

   Leo has been in a sulk all morning.

2. (in the plural, preceded by definite article) A fit of sulking; a sulking mood.
   • 1918, Norman Lindsay, The Magic Pudding, page 82:

     The Puddin', who had got the sulks over Sam's remark that fifteen goes of steak and kidney were enough for any self-respecting man, protested against the singing, which, he said, disturbed his gravy.

3. A person who sulks

   Don't be such a sulk, Leo!

Translations

state of sulking

• Bulgarian: мусене (bg) n (musene), цупене (bg) n (cupene)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 悶氣／闷气 (mun⁶ hei³)

  Hokkien: 悶氣／闷气 (būn-khì)

  Mandarin: 悶氣／闷气 (zh) (mènqì)

• Dutch: gemok (nl), gepruil
• German: Schmollen (de) n
• Irish: tormas m
• Polish: dąsy nvir, fochy nvir
• Turkish: bir karış surat (figurative)

Etymology 2

Latin sulcus.

Noun

sulk (plural sulks)

1. A furrow.

References

• “sulk”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
• “sulk”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• "sulk" in WordNet 2.0, Princeton University, 2003.

Anagrams

• Lusk, lusk