Shirked
/ʃɜːrkt/noun
Past tense of shirk, meaning to avoid work, duty, or responsibility.
Did you know?The origin of *shirk* is uncertain, but it appears in English in the 17th century with the sense of evading duty, not from anything mystical or occult despite its eerie sound.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skurkaną / *skirkjaną (uncertain)
“Possible ancestral forms proposed by some scholars, with senses linked to dodging or slipping away, but not securely established”
Early Modern English
English
shirk
“To evade work, duty, or responsibility; to dodge or escape”
17th Century
English
shirk
“To sneak away from or evade something, especially a task or obligation”
Modern English
English
shirked
“Avoided duty, work, or responsibility”