Cork
/kɔːrk/noun
A light, elastic bark tissue used for stoppers, insulation, and craft materials.
Did you know?The word comes through Latin from a pre-Roman Mediterranean substrate term, and the material itself was so valued that it became a symbol of preservation and containment long before modern bottling.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Roman Mediterranean
Substrate
*kork-
“A term for cork bark or a rough tree covering, likely from a non-Indo-European source”
Latin
Latin
cortex
“Bark, rind, shell, or outer covering”
Late Latin
Latin
corkum
“Cork; the bark of the cork oak”
Old French
Old French
corque
“Cork”
Middle English
English
cork
“Cork; a stopper made from cork material”
Modern English
English
cork
“The bark tissue of the cork oak, or a stopper made from it”