What is that word kirk

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Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning «church». It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it.

Basic meaning and etymology[edit]

As a common noun, kirk (meaning ‘church’) is found in Scots, Scottish English, Ulster-Scots and some English dialects,^[1] attested as a noun from the 14th century onwards, but as an element in placenames much earlier. Both words, kirk and church, derive from the Koine Greek κυριακόν (δωμα) (kyriakon (dōma)) meaning Lord’s (house), which was borrowed into the Germanic languages in late antiquity, possibly in the course of the Gothic missions. (Only a connection with the idiosyncrasies of Gothic explains how a Greek neuter noun became a Germanic feminine).

Whereas church displays Old English palatalisation, kirk is a loanword from Old Norse^{[citation needed]} and thus retains the original mainland Germanic consonants. Compare cognates: Icelandic & Faroese kirkja; Swedish kyrka (where the first ‘k’ was later palatalized as well); Norwegian (Nynorsk) kyrkje; Danish and Norwegian (Bokmål) kirke; Dutch and Afrikaans kerk; German Kirche (reflecting palatalization before unstressed front vowel); West Frisian tsjerke; and borrowed into non-Germanic languages Estonian kirik and Finnish kirkko.

Church of Scotland[edit]

As a proper noun, The Kirk is an informal name for the Church of Scotland, the country’s national church. The Kirk of Scotland was in official use as the name of the Church of Scotland until the 17th century, and still today the term is frequently used in the press and everyday speech, though seldom in the Church’s own literature. However, Kirk Session is still the standard term in church law for the court of elders in the local congregation, both in the Church of Scotland and in any of the other Scottish Presbyterian denominations.

Free Kirk[edit]

Even more commonly, The Free Kirk is heard as an informal name for the Free Church of Scotland, the remnant of an evangelical presbyterian church formed in 1843 when its founders withdrew from the Church of Scotland. See:

• Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900)
• Free Church of Scotland (since 1900)

A pair of rhyming jibes remain from the time of the heated split of the Disruption in 1843 when about a third of the Auld Kirk of Scotland left to form the Free Kirk. The Free Kirkers who had sometimes given up homes as well as church buildings and started financially from scratch were taunted with the rhyme: “The Free Kirk, the wee kirk, the kirk without the steeple.” This rhyme linking the Free Kirk with the derogatory diminutive «wee» was offensive and a reply was devised in: “The Auld Kirk, the cauld kirk, the kirk without the people.”

High Kirk[edit]

High Kirk is the term sometimes used to describe a congregation of the Church of Scotland which uses a building which was a cathedral prior to the Reformation. As the Church of Scotland is not governed by bishops, it has no cathedrals in the episcopal sense of the word. In more recent times, the traditional names have been revived, so that in many cases both forms can be heard: Glasgow Cathedral, as well as the High Kirk of Glasgow, and St. Giles’ Cathedral, as well as the High Kirk of Edinburgh.
The term High Kirk should, however, be used with some caution. Several towns have a congregation known as the High Kirk which were never pre-Reformation cathedrals. Examples include:

• Dundee, where the High Kirk is not the historic Dundee Parish Church known as St Mary’s, but St David’s;^[2]
• Paisley where there were former congregations and parishes surrounding three churches: the High Kirk (now formally Oakshaw Trinity Church, but still retaining the High Kirk name), the Middle Kirk and the Laigh Kirk, the Middle Kirk no longer existing as a religious institution and none of the three names referred to Paisley’s historic Abbey;^[3]
• Stevenston High Kirk in Ayrshire.

There is no connection between the term ‘High Kirk’ and the term ‘High Church’, which is a type of Churchmanship within the Anglican Communion.

Kirk Session[edit]

The first court of Presbyterian polity where the Elders of a particular congregation gather as a Session or meeting to govern the spiritual and temporal affairs of the church.

Kirking ceremonies[edit]

The verb to kirk, meaning ‘to present in church’, was probably first used for the annual church services of some Scottish town councils, known as the Kirking of the Council. Since the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, the Kirking of the Parliament has become a fixed ceremony at the beginning of a session.^[4]
Historically a newly married couple would attend public worship as husband and wife for the first time at their kirking.
In Nova Scotia, Kirking of the Tartan ceremonies have become an integral part of most Scottish Festivals and Highland Games.^[5]

Place names[edit]

Kirk is found mainly as an element in many placenames of Scotland, England and countries of large British expatriate communities.^[6]

Scottish examples include Falkirk, Kirkwall and numerous Kirkhills and Kirktons. Examples in England are Ormskirk and Kirkby in Lancashire, and Kirkstall, Kirklees and Kirklevington in Yorkshire. Newkirk, Oklahoma state of the United States, is another example.

The element only found in place names of Anglo-Saxon origin but also in Anglo-Gaelic Southern Scottish names such as Kirkcudbright, a place around a Cudbright church. Here, the Gaelic element cil- (coming from a monk’s cell) might have been expected to go with the Gaelic form of Cuthbert. The reason appears to be that kirk was borrowed into local Galwegian, it does not seem to have been a part of spoken Gaelic in the Highlands or Ireland.

When the element appears in placenames of the former British empire, a distinction can be made between those where the element is productive ( named after a church) or transferred – from a place in Britain. Kirkland, a city in the United States, is an exception, being named after the surname of an English settler, Peter Kirk.

The element kirk is also used in anglicisations of continental European place names, originally formed from one of the continental Germanic cognates. Dunkirk (French Flanders) is a rendering of Dutch West-Flemish dialect of Duunkerke or standard Dutch form of Duinkerke.

Personal names[edit]

Kirk is also in use as both a surname and a male forename. For lists of these, see Kirk (surname) and Kirk (given name), and also Kirkby (disambiguation). Parallels in other languages are far rarer than with placenames, but English Church and German Kirch can also be a surname.

See also[edit]

• Kirk Party

References[edit]

церковь

существительное

- шотл. церковь
- (the Kirk) разг. кирка, шотландская церковь
- шотл. = church

Словосочетания

kirk garth — церковный двор; погост  
kirk-garth — кладбище при церкви; церковный погост; церковный двор  
kirk effect — эффект кирка  
kirk portrait — портрет несколько меньше поясного  

Примеры с переводом

Формы слова

noun
ед. ч.(singular): kirk
мн. ч.(plural): kirks

Last Update: Jan 03, 2023

This is a question our experts keep getting from time to time. Now, we have got the complete detailed explanation and answer for everyone, who is interested!

Asked by: Prof. Marcel Wiegand

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Kirk is a Scottish (and former Northern English) word meaning «church». It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it.

Is Kirk Scottish or Irish?

Kirk is a Scottish name of various local origins, from residence near a church. The Dumfriesshire name Kirkhoe, now rare, also became Kirk. In Ireland the name is most common in counties Antrim and Louth, though a particular concentration was noted in the parish of Killaney, Barony of Upper Castlereagh, Co.

Where is the Kirk family from?

Is Kirk a Scottish clan?

The Scottish, and northern English, name Kirk is of Viking origin. In Scotland the surname is first recorded in 1456, in the Register of the Abbey of Aberbrothoc, where Sir Patrick Kyrk appears as chaplain of the altar of St. …

What does the Scottish word Kirk mean?

1 chiefly Scotland : church. 2 capitalized : the national church of Scotland as distinguished from the Church of England or the Episcopal Church in Scotland. Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More About kirk.

34 related questions found

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Inherited from Northern Middle English kyrke, from either Old Norse kirkja or Old English cirice.

Pronunciation[edit]

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kɜːk/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /kɪɾk/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)k

Noun[edit]

kirk (plural kirks)

1. (Northern England and Scotland) A church.
   • 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide

     When she sang in the kirk, folk have told me that they had a foretaste of the musick of the New Jerusalem, and when she came in by the village of Caulds old men stottered to their doors to look at her.

   • 1941 January, C. Hamilton Ellis, “The Scottish Station”, in Railway Magazine, page 3:

     But long, long ago an enthusiastic reporter called it a «fairy palace,» and the office building on the west side was once a church. Hence, in North British phraseology, to «gang tae the Kirk» meant to be had up on the carpet.

Derived terms[edit]

Scots[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Inherited from Northern Middle English kyrke, from either Old Norse kirkja or Old English cirice.

Noun[edit]

kirk (plural kirks)

1. church
2. temple

Verb[edit]

kirk (third-person singular simple present kirks, present participle kirkin, simple past kirkit, past participle kirkit)

1. (transitive) to bring to church for burial

See also[edit]

• kirkit

References[edit]

• “kirk” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.

It is of Old Norse and Old German origin, and the meaning of Kirk is “church”. In Scotland, “kirk” is used as a word meaning “church”.

Kirk is a Scottish and Northern English word meaning “church”. Additionally kirk is a common designation for any parish church under the Church of Scotland denomination.

The Kirk It is term used for the Church of Scotland, while the Auld Kirk is the Catholic Church. , Retired USMC Intelligence Officer, several years as DIA analyst. Kirk is a Scottish word meaning a church, or more specifically, the Church of Scotland.

It is also used in Scots and in standard Scottish English in the proper name “The Kirk”, to specifically refer to the Church of Scotland – the Presbyterian church, rather than any kirk/church in general.

Where does the word “Kirk” come from?

As a common noun, kirk (meaning ‘church’) is found in Scots, Scottish English, Ulster-Scots and some English dialects, attested as a noun from the 14th century onwards, but as an element in placenames much earlier. Both words, kirk and church, derive from the Koine Greek κυριακόν (δωμα) (kyriakon (dōma)) meaning Lord’s (house), which was borrowed into the Germanic languages in late antiquity, possibly in the course of the Gothic missions. (Only a connection with the idiosyncrasies of Gothic explains how a Greek neuter noun became a Germanic feminine).

The verb to kirk, meaning ‘to present in church’, was probably first used for the annual church services of some Scottish town councils, known as the Kirking of the Council. Since the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, the Kirking of the Parliament has become a fixed ceremony at the beginning of a session. Historically a newly married couple would attend public worship as husband and wife for the first time at their kirking. In Nova Scotia, Kirking of the Tartan ceremonies have become an integral part of most Scottish Festivals and Highland Games.

The Free Kirkers who had sometimes given up homes as well as church buildings and started financially from scratch were taunted with the rhyme: “The Free Kirk, the wee kirk, the kirk without the steeple.”. This rhyme linking the Free Kirk with the derogatory diminutive “wee” was offensive and a reply was devised in: “The Auld Kirk, the cauld kirk, …

High Kirk is the term sometimes used to describe a congregation of the Church of Scotland which uses a building which was a cathedral prior to the Reformation. As the Church of Scotland is not governed by bishops, it has no cathedrals in the episcopal sense of the word.

As a proper noun, The Kirk is an informal name for the Church of Scotland, the country’s national church. The Kirk of Scotland was in official use as the name of the Church of Scotland until the 17th century, and still today the term is frequently used in the press and everyday speech, though seldom in the Church’s own literature. However, Kirk Session is still the standard term in church law for the court of elders in the local congregation, both in the Church of Scotland and in any of the other Scottish Presbyterian denominations.

Free Kirk. Even more commonly, The Free Kirk is heard as an informal name for the Free Church of Scotland, the remnant of an evangelical presbyterian church formed in 1843 when its founders withdrew from the Church of Scotland. See:

Kirkland, a city in the United States, is an exception, being named after the surname of an English settler , Peter Kirk . The element kirk is also used in anglicisations of continental European place names, originally formed from one of the continental Germanic cognates.

Kirk can mean «church» in general or the Church of Scotland in particular. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it.

Basic meaning and etymology

As a common noun, «kirk» is the Scots and Scottish English word for ‘church’, attested as a noun from the 14th century onwards, but as an element in placenames much earlier. Both words, «kirk» and «church», derive from the Koine Greek κυριακόν (δωμα) (kyriakon (dōma)) meaning «Lord’s (house)», which was borrowed into the Germanic languages in late antiquity, possibly in the course of the Gothic missions. (Only a connection with the idiosyncrasies of Gothic explains how a Greek neuter noun became a Germanic feminine.) Whereas «church» displays Old English palatalisation, «kirk» is likely to be a loanword from Old Norse and thus has the original mainland Germanic consonants. Compare cognates: Icelandic & Faroese «kirkja»; Swedish «kyrka»; Norwegian & Danish «kirke»; German «Kirche»; Dutch «kerk»; West Frisian «tsjerke»; and borrowed into non-Germanic languages: Estonian «kirik» and Finnish «kirkko».

Church of Scotland

As a proper noun, «The Kirk» is an informal name for the Church of Scotland, the country’s national church. «The Kirk of Scotland» was in official use as the name of the Church of Scotland until the 17th century, and still today the term is frequently used in the press and everyday speech, though seldom in the Church’s own literature. However, Kirk Session is still the standard term in church law for the court of elders in the local parish, both in the Church of Scotland and in any of the other Scottish Presbyterian denominations.

Free Kirk

Even more commonly, «The Free Kirk» is heard as an informal name for the Free Church of Scotland, an evangelical presbyterian church formed in 1843 when its founders withdrew from the Church of Scotland. See:

* Free Church of Scotland (1843-1900)
* Free Church of Scotland (post 1900)

High Kirk

«High kirk» is the term sometimes used to describe a congregation of the Church of Scotland which uses a building which was a cathedral prior to the Reformation. As the Church of Scotland is not governed by bishops, it also has no cathedrals in the episcopal sense of the word. In more recent times, the traditional names have been revived, so that in many cases both forms can be heard: Glasgow Cathedral, as well as the «High Kirk of Glasgow», and St. Giles’ Cathedral, as well as the «High Kirk of Edinburgh».

The term High Kirk should, however, be used with some caution. Several towns have a congregation known as the High Kirk which have never been pre-Reformation Cathedrals. Examples include Paisley, Dundee (where the High Kirk is not the historic Dundee Parish Church (St Mary’s)), Old High St Stephen’s in Inverness and Stevenston High Kirk in Ayrshire.

(There is no connection with the term High Church, which represents a grouping within Anglicanism.)

Kirking ceremonies

The verb «to kirk», meaning ‘to present in church’, was probably first used for the annual church services of some Scottish town councils, known as the Kirking of the Council. Since the establishment of a Scottish Parliament in 1999, the Kirking of the Parliament has become a fixed ceremony at the beginning of a session. [http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/newsandgallery/news/hrh_attends_the_kirking_of_the_scottish_parliament_969931870.html] In Nova Scotia, Kirking of the Tartan ceremonies have become an integral part of most Scottish Festivals and Highland Games. [http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Heritage/FSCNS/Scots_NS/Thr_Yrs/Kirking_Tartan.html]

Place names

Like words meaning «church» in other languages, «kirk» is found as an element in many place names in Scotland and northern England, and in countries with large Scottish expatriate communities. Examples include Falkirk or Kirkwall in Scotland, Kirkstall in England and Newkirk, Oklahoma in the United States. For a fuller list, see Kirk as a placename element.

What may be slightly surprising is that this element is found not only in place names of Anglo-Saxon origin, but also in some Southern Scottish names of Gaelic origin such as Kirkcudbright (where the second element is the «Gaelic» form of «Cuthbert»). Here, the Gaelic element «cil-» (church, monk’s cell) might be expected. The reason appears to be that «kirk» was borrowed into Galwegian Gaelic, though it was never part of standard Scottish Gaelic.

When the element appears in placenames in the former British empire, a distinction can be made between those where the element is productive (the place is named because of the presence of a church) and those where it is merely transferred (the place is named after a place in Scotland). Kirkland, Washington is an exception, being named after a person.

The element «kirk» is also used in anglicisations of continental European place names originally formed from one of the continental Germanic cognates. Thus Dunkirk (France) is a rendering of an original Dutch form, «Duinkerke».

See: David Dorward, «Scotland’s Place-names», 1995, p.82f. ISBN 1-873644-50-7

Personal names

«Kirk» is also in use as both a surname and a male forename. For lists of these, see Kirk (surname) and Kirk (given name). Parallels in other languages are far rarer than with placenames, but English «Church» can also be a surname.

1 chiefly Scotland : church. 2 capitalized : the national church of Scotland as distinguished from the Church of England or the Episcopal Church in Scotland.

Where does the word Kirk originate?

Koine Greek

What does the name Kirk mean biblically?

The meaning of Kirk is “A dweller by the church ”.

kirknoun. a church. Etymology: From kirkja or cirice.

What is the difference between a Kirk and a church?

The difference between Church and Kirk. When used as nouns, church means a christian house of worship, whereas kirk means a church. A Christian house of worship; a building where religious services take place.

Is Kirk an Irish name?

Kirk is a Scottish name of various local origins, from residence near a church. In Ireland the name is most common in counties Antrim and Louth, though a particular concentration was noted in the parish of Killaney, Barony of Upper Castlereagh, Co. Down, in the mid-nineteenth century.

How popular is the name Kirk?

Records indicate that 65,117 boys in the United States have been named Kirk since 1880. The greatest number of people were given this name in 1962, when 2,550 people in the U.S. were given the name Kirk.

Is Kirk short for anything?

KIRK means: English surname transferred to forename use, originally an English and Scottish name for someone who “lives near a church,” derived from the Old Norse word kirkja, KIRK means “church.”

Is there a Kirk tartan?

THE Church of Scotland has unveiled its own distinct tartan to celebrate its role as the country’s national Kirk. Each of the five colours hold deep meaning for the Presbyterian denomination, which was established in 1560.

What is the name for the Scottish language?

Scots (endonym: Scots; Scottish Gaelic: Albais/Beurla Ghallda) is a West Germanic language variety spoken in Scotland and parts of Ulster in the north of Ireland (where the local dialect is known as Ulster Scots)….Scots language.

What Scottish clan does Kirk belong to?

Dunscore, about 10 miles NW of Dumfries, is in the heart of “Maxwell country,” and it was here that the surname Kirkhoe was very common. Over the years, the name was shortened to Kirk. As a less powerful family, the Kirkhoes would have allied themselves with the Maxwells for mutual aid and defense.

What is the meaning of Kirk session?

noun. the lowest court of the Presbyterian Church.

What is a church session called?

A session (from the Latin word sessio, which means “to sit”, as in sitting to deliberate or talk about something; sometimes called consistory or church board) is a body of elected elders governing each local church within presbyterian polity.

What do you call a Presbyterian pastor?

In some denominations they are called Ministers of Word and Sacrament, and in others they are called Teaching Elders. Ministers called to a particular congregation are called pastors, and serve a function analogous to clergy in other denominations. The presbyteries are responsible for the ordination of the ministers.

What is Sermon English?

1 : a religious discourse delivered in public usually by a member of the clergy as a part of a worship service. 2 : a speech on conduct or duty. Other Words from sermon Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More About sermon.

What are the 3 types of sermons?

• 1 Expository. An expository sermon uses biblical text to form all three elements: theme, main point and minor points.
• 2 Textual. Textual sermons use biblical text to form the main point and minor points of your sermon.
• 3 Topical. Topical sermons use Biblical text to form the minor points of your sermon.
• 4 Selection.

Why is it called a sermon?

The word sermon comes from a Middle English word which was derived from Old French, which in turn originates from the Latin word sermō meaning “discourse”. A sermonette is a short sermon (usually associated with television broadcasting, as stations would present a sermonette before signing off for the night).

What is God’s power?

The Five Powers of God by Paul Goulet is an excellent book. It is an in-depth study of Kratos- Dominion, Exousia – Delegated Authority, Dunamis – Miraculous Dynamite Power, Energia – Energy and Ischus – Strength. Paul shows how each power is used in Scripture and gives examples so that we may understand them better.