*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of yark

From Middle English ȝarken, ȝerken, from Old English ġearcian (“to prepare, make ready, procure, furnish, supply”), Proto-West Germanic *garwakōn, equivalent to yare + -k. Related to Old English ġearc (“ready, active, qu

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

To make ready; prepare. · To dispose; be set in order for; be destined or intended for. · To set open; open.

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

From Middle English ȝarken, ȝerken, from Old English ġearcian (“to prepare, make ready, procure, furnish, supply”), Proto-West Germanic *garwakōn, equivalent to yare + -k. Related to Old English ġearc (“ready, active, quick”), ġearu (“prepared, ready, equipped, complete, finished, yare”). More at yare.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "ȝarken"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English ȝarken"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "ġearcian",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to prepare, make ready, procure, furnish, supply"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ġearcian (“to prepare, make ready, procure, furnish, supply”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*garwakōn"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *garwakōn"
    },
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yare",
        "3": "k",
        "nocat": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "yare + -k"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "ġearc",
        "3": "",
        "4": "ready, active, quick"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ġearc (“ready, active, quick”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ȝarken",
      "ȝarken#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ȝerken",
      "ȝerken#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ġearcian",
      "gearcian#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*garwakōn",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/garwakōn"
    ],
    [
      "yare",
      "yare#English"
    ],
    [
      "-k",
      "-k#English"
    ],
    [
      "ġearc",
      "gearc#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "ġearu",
      "gearu#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "yare",
      "yare#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To make ready; prepare.",
        "To dispose; be set in order for; be destined or intended for.",
        "To set open; open."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "855e16be90174fb78d5368f574ee171430b50640472a46a893849403dec5af92",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d494eb9e4dbd0d2c245c2c9dc1475753d8dfc9db7003968afd06f9cb4bd7b722",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1484313
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To bind or draw (especially leather or stitches) tight. · To hit, strike, especially with a cane or whip. · To crack (a whip).

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

Uncertain, probably originally imitative; compare jerk, etc.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "unc",
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Uncertain"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "jerk",
      "jerk#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To bind or draw (especially leather or stitches) tight.",
        "To hit, strike, especially with a cane or whip.",
        "To crack (a whip)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "b9edd918301ab8f561a4edacbba09c0b06cf65a0bbb9f789a8e86e0db994bb00",
      "rawRecordSha256": "968b2d5710de686b4e7f1b337f8da38d6e2d2099f4f94a90eb256ba48b070f0e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1484314
    }
  ],
  "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 yark →

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-eWFyaw