Wiktionary

stark

See also: Stark, stärk, and stærk

English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle English stark, starc, from Old English stearc, starc (“stiff, rigid, unyielding, obstinate, hard, strong, severe, violent”), from Proto-West Germanic *stark, from Proto-Germanic *starkuz (“stiff, strong”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)terg- (“rigid, stiff”).

Cognate with Saterland Frisian sterc (“strong”), Dutch sterk (“strong”), Low German sterk (“strong”), German stark (“strong”), Danish stærk (“strong”), Swedish stark (“strong”), Norwegian sterk (“strong”), Icelandic sterkur (“strong”). Related to starch.

In the phrase stark naked: an alternation of Middle English stert naked, from stert (“tail”), a literal parallel to the modern butt naked.

Adjective

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stark (comparative starker, superlative starkest)

  1. (obsolete) Hard, firm; obdurate.
  2. Severe; violent; fierce (now usually in describing the weather).
    • 2013 May 11, “The climate of Tibet: Pole-land”, in The Economist‎[1], volume 407, number 8835, page 80:
      Of all the transitions brought about on the Earth’s surface by temperature change, the melting of ice into water is the starkest. It is binary. And for the land beneath, the air above and the life around, it changes everything.
  3. (poetic, literary or archaic) Strong; vigorous; powerful.
  4. Stiff, rigid.
  5. Plain in appearance; barren, desolate.
    I picked my way forlornly through the stark, sharp rocks.
  6. Naked.
    • 1817 December, Percy Bysshe Shelley, “The Revolt of Islam. […]”, in [Mary] Shelley, editor, The Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley. […], volume I, London: Edward Moxon […], published 1839, →OCLC, page 211:
      They bore me to a cavern in the hill
      Beneath that column, and unbound me there;
      And one did strip me stark; and one did fill
      A vessel from the putrid pool; one bare
      A lighted torch, and four with friendless care
      Guided my steps the cavern-paths along […]
  7. Complete, absolute, full.
    I screamed in stark terror.
    A flower was growing, in stark contrast, out of the sidewalk.
Derived terms
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Translations
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Adverb

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stark (not comparable)

  1. starkly; entirely, absolutely
    He's gone stark, staring mad.
    She was just standing there, stark naked.
    • 1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=I to XI):
      […] held him strangled in his arms till he was stark dead.
    • 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 4, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad‎[2]:
      “… That woman is stark mad, Lord Stranleigh. Her own father recognised it when he bereft her of all power in the great business he founded. …”
Usage notes
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In standard modern English, the adverb is essentially restricted to stark naked and phrases meaning "crazy" on the pattern of stark raving mad.

Derived terms
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Translations
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Etymology 2

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From Middle English starken, from Old English stearcian (“to stiffen, become hard, grow stiff or hard”), from Proto-Germanic *starkōną, *starkēną (“to stiffen, become hard”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)terg- (“rigid, stiff”). Cognate with German erstarken (“to strengthen”).

Verb

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stark (third-person singular simple present starks, present participle starking, simple past and past participle starked)

  1. (obsolete or dialect) To stiffen.
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Anagrams

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German

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Etymology

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From Middle High German stark, from Old High German stark, from Proto-West Germanic *stark.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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stark (strong nominative masculine singular starker, comparative stärker, superlative am stärksten)

  1. strong (intense, powerful, unyielding)
  2. strong (having a high concentration of some ingredient, e.g. alcohol)
    Coordinate terms: gemischt, schwach
  3. (of an action, especially sports) good, great, skilled
  4. (colloquial, slightly dated) brilliant, awesome
  5. (colloquial, dated) incredible, unbelievable
    ein starkes Stück ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)
    starker Tobak ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)
  6. (dated, euphemistic) overweight, fat
  7. (grammar) strong (inflecting according to a pattern distinct from another called "weak")

Declension

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Positive forms of stark
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist stark sie ist stark es ist stark sie sind stark
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative starker starke starkes starke
genitive starken starker starken starker
dative starkem starker starkem starken
accusative starken starke starkes starke
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der starke die starke das starke die starken
genitive des starken der starken des starken der starken
dative dem starken der starken dem starken den starken
accusative den starken die starke das starke die starken
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein starker eine starke ein starkes (keine) starken
genitive eines starken einer starken eines starken (keiner) starken
dative einem starken einer starken einem starken (keinen) starken
accusative einen starken eine starke ein starkes (keine) starken
Comparative forms of stark
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist stärker sie ist stärker es ist stärker sie sind stärker
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative stärkerer stärkere stärkeres stärkere
genitive stärkeren stärkerer stärkeren stärkerer
dative stärkerem stärkerer stärkerem stärkeren
accusative stärkeren stärkere stärkeres stärkere
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der stärkere die stärkere das stärkere die stärkeren
genitive des stärkeren der stärkeren des stärkeren der stärkeren
dative dem stärkeren der stärkeren dem stärkeren den stärkeren
accusative den stärkeren die stärkere das stärkere die stärkeren
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein stärkerer eine stärkere ein stärkeres (keine) stärkeren
genitive eines stärkeren einer stärkeren eines stärkeren (keiner) stärkeren
dative einem stärkeren einer stärkeren einem stärkeren (keinen) stärkeren
accusative einen stärkeren eine stärkere ein stärkeres (keine) stärkeren
Superlative forms of stark
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist am stärksten sie ist am stärksten es ist am stärksten sie sind am stärksten
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative stärkster stärkste stärkstes stärkste
genitive stärksten stärkster stärksten stärkster
dative stärkstem stärkster stärkstem stärksten
accusative stärksten stärkste stärkstes stärkste
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der stärkste die stärkste das stärkste die stärksten
genitive des stärksten der stärksten des stärksten der stärksten
dative dem stärksten der stärksten dem stärksten den stärksten
accusative den stärksten die stärkste das stärkste die stärksten
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein stärkster eine stärkste ein stärkstes (keine) stärksten
genitive eines stärksten einer stärksten eines stärksten (keiner) stärksten
dative einem stärksten einer stärksten einem stärksten (keinen) stärksten
accusative einen stärksten eine stärkste ein stärkstes (keine) stärksten

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Kashubian

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Etymology

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Inherited from Proto-Slavic *starъ + -k.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈstark/
  • Rhymes: -ark
  • Syllabification: stark

Noun

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stark m pers (female equivalent starka)

  1. grandfather
    Synonyms: dżadek, ópa

Declension

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Declension of stark
singular plural
nominative stark starkòwie
genitive stark starków
dative starkòwi starkóm
accusative starka starków
instrumental starkã starkama
locative starkù starkach
vocative starkù starkòwie

Further reading

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  • Eùgeniusz Gòłąbk (2011) “dziadek”, in Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski / Słowôrz Pòlskò-Kaszëbsczi‎[3]
  • “stark”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka [Internet Dictionary of the Kashubian Language], Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022

Low German

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Etymology

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Cognate with German stark, Dutch sterk.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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stark (comparative starker, superlative starkst)

  1. strong, powerful

Declension

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Positive forms of stark
gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative he is stark se is stark dat is stark se sünd stark
partitive een Starks een Starks wat Starks allens Stark
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative starke starke stark starke
oblique starken starke stark starke
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative de starke de starke dat starke de starken
oblique den starken de starke dat starke de starken
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative en starke/starken en starke en stark/starket (keen) starken
oblique en starken en starke en stark/starket (keen) starken
Comparative forms of stark
gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative he is starker se is starker dat is starker se sünd starker
partitive een starkers een starkers wat starkers allens starker
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative starkere starkere starker starkere
oblique starkern starkere starker starkere
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative de starkere de starkere dat starkere de starkern
oblique den starkern de starkere dat starkere de starkern
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative en starkere/starkeren en starkere en starker (keen) starkern
oblique en starkern en starkere en starker (keen) starkern
Superlative forms of stark
gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter all genders
predicative he is de Starkste se is de Starkste dat is dat Starkste se sünd de Starksten
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative starkste starkste starkst starkste
oblique starksten starkste starkst starkste
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative de starkste de starkste dat starkste de starksten
oblique den starksten de starkste dat starkste de starksten
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative en starkste/starksten en starkste en starkst (keen) starksten
oblique en starksten en starkste en starkst (keen) starksten
Note: This declension is one of many; neither its grammar nor spelling apply to all dialects.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Old High German

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Etymology

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From Proto-Germanic *starkuz, whence also Old English stearc, Old Norse sterkr.

Adjective

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stark

  1. strong

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • German: stark
  • Yiddish: שטאַרק (shtark)

Polish

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Etymology

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Deverbal from sterczeć (starczyć).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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stark m inan

  1. (Southern Greater Poland) spike, tip (that which juts out)

Further reading

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  • Oskar Kolberg (1877) “stark”, in “Rzecz o mowie ludu wielkopolskiego”, in Zbiór wiadomości do antropologii krajowéj (in Polish), volume 1, III (Materyjały etnologiczne), page 31

Slovene

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Noun

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stark

  1. genitive dual/plural of starka

Swedish

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Etymology

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From Old Swedish starker, from Old Norse starkr, from Proto-Germanic *starkuz, from Proto-Indo-European *sterg-.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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stark (comparative starkare, superlative starkast)

  1. strong; able to use great force
    starka muskler
    strong muscles
  2. strong; capable of withstanding great (physical) force
  3. strong; highly stimulating to the senses
    starkt ljus
    bright light
  4. (of food) spicy, hot
    Nisses chili con carne är för stark för mig
    Nisse's chili con carne is too spicy for me
    världens starkaste chilipeppar
    the world's hottest chili pepper
  5. strong; having a high concentration of an essential; possibly alcohol
    starkt kaffe
    strong coffee
  6. (grammar) strong
  7. (military) strong; not easily subdued or taken

Declension

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Inflection of stark
Indefinite positive comparative superlative1
common singular stark starkare starkast
neuter singular starkt starkare starkast
plural starka starkare starkast
masculine plural2 starke starkare starkast
Definite positive comparative superlative
masculine singular3 starke starkare starkaste
all starka starkare starkaste

1 The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
2 Dated or archaic.
3 Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

Synonyms

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See also

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References

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Anagrams

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