different between irk vs heckle

English

Etymology

From Middle English irken (“to tire, grow weary”), from Old Norse yrkja (“to work”), from Proto-Germanic *wurkijan? (“to work”), from Proto-Indo-European *wer?- (“to work”). Cognate with Icelandic yrkja (“to compose”), Swedish yrka (“to urge, argue”), Old English wyrcan, wyr?ean (“to work”). More at work.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??k/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?k/
• Rhymes: -??(r)k

Verb

irk (third-person singular simple present irks, present participle irking, simple past and past participle irked)

1. (transitive) to irritate; annoy; bother

   It irks me doing all this work and have someone wreck it.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:annoy

Derived terms

• irksome
• irky

Translations

Anagrams

• IKR, Kri, ikr, kir, rik

Manx

Noun

irk

1. plural of ark

English

Etymology

Transferred usage of Middle English hekelen (“to comb flax or hemp with a heckle”), from hekele (“a comb for flax or hemp”), from Middle Dutch hekelen (“to prickle, irritate”), from Proto-Germanic *hakil?n?. Related to hackle.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?h?k?l/
• Rhymes: -?k?l

Verb

heckle (third-person singular simple present heckles, present participle heckling, simple past and past participle heckled)

1. (transitive) To question harshly in an attempt to find or reveal weaknesses. [from later 18th c.]
2. (transitive) To insult, tease, make fun of or badger.

   Promise that you won't heckle me after my performance.

3. (textiles) To prepare flax for spinning using special combs called hackles

Synonyms

(prepare flax for spinning): hackle

Related terms

• heckler
• heckling

Translations

Noun

heckle (plural heckles)

1. Alternative form of hackle (“tool for separating flax”)
2. The long shining feathers on a cock's neck.
3. A feather ornament in the full-dress bonnets of Highland regiments.

Anagrams

• Heckel