*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Sterk

* As a German, Dutch and Jewish surname, from the adjective stark (“brave, strong”). * As a Slovene surname Šterk, from the verb štrkati (“to scatter, shoot, splash”), probably from the same source as Czech strkat, or pe

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
name

A surname.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

* As a German, Dutch and Jewish surname, from the adjective stark (“brave, strong”). * As a Slovene surname Šterk, from the verb štrkati (“to scatter, shoot, splash”), probably from the same source as Czech strkat, or perhaps borrowed from Serbo-Croatian štrk (“gadfly”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Cognate mentionstrkatcs
  • Derivation mentionštrksh · gadfly
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "de",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "German"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nl",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sl",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Slovene"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "cs",
        "2": "strkat"
      },
      "expansion": "Czech strkat"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sh",
        "3": "štrk",
        "t": "gadfly"
      },
      "expansion": "Serbo-Croatian štrk (“gadfly”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "stark",
      "stark#German"
    ],
    [
      "Šterk",
      "Šterk#Slovene"
    ],
    [
      "štrkati",
      "štrkati#Slovene"
    ],
    [
      "strkat",
      "strkat#Czech"
    ],
    [
      "štrk",
      "štrk#Serbo-Croatian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "a1b88ef4c73fef0f663e011e78442669fb487c7343d9dfb692a8618c062f6e35",
      "rawRecordSha256": "1ce4f9bf3ff42ad98eead628f4942a9739541ee7c88bfc56ce7d0431f6c813ba",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6700153
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Sterk →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-U3Rlcms