Stark
/stɑːrk/noun
Severe, bare, or sharply conspicuous; utterly complete or extreme.
Did you know?Its oldest Germanic ancestor is tied to the idea of being strong or rigid, which is why the word still feels cold, hard, and uncompromising today.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ster-
“to be stiff, rigid”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*starkaz
“stiff, strong, rigid”
Old English
English
stearc
“stiff, rigid, severe”
Middle English
English
stark
“stiff, strong, rigid; later, bare or complete”
Modern English
English
stark
“severe, bare, or sharply conspicuous; utterly complete or extreme”