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Webster 1913 Edition

Stark

Stark

(stärk)
,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Starker
(-ẽr)
;
sup
erl.
Starkest
.]
[OE.
stark
stiff, strong, AS.
stearc
; akin to OS.
starc
strong, D.
sterk
, OHG.
starc
,
starah
, G. & Sw.
stark
, Dan.
staerk
, Icel.
sterkr
, Goth. ga
staúrknan
to become dried up, Lith.
strëgti
to stiffen, to freeze. Cf.
Starch
,
Adj.
&
Noun.
]
1.
Stiff; rigid.
Chaucer.
Whose senses all were straight benumbed and
stark
.
Spenser.
His heart gan wax as
stark
as marble stone.
Spenser.
Many a nobleman lies
stark
and stiff
Under the hoofs of vaunting enemies.
Shakespeare
The north is not so
stark
and cold.
B. Jonson.
2.
Complete; absolute; full; perfect; entire.
[Obs.]
Consider the
stark
security
The common wealth is in now.
B. Jonson.
3.
Strong; vigorous; powerful.
A
stark
, moss-trooping Scot.
Sir W. Scott.
Stark
beer, boy, stout and strong beer.
Beau. & Fl.
4.
Severe; violent; fierce.
[Obs.]
“In starke stours” [i. e., in fierce combats].
Chaucer.
5.
Mere; sheer; gross; entire; downright.
He pronounces the citation
stark
nonsense.
Collier.
Rhetoric is very good or
stark
naught; there’s no medium in rhetoric.
Selden.

Stark

(stärk)
,
adv.
Wholly; entirely; absolutely; quite;
as,
stark
mad
.
Shak.
Held him strangled in his arms till he was
stark
dead.
Fuller.
Stark naked
,
wholly naked; quite bare.
Strip your sword
stark naked
.
Shakespeare
☞ According to Professor Skeat, “stark-naked” is derived from steort-naked, or start-naked, literally tail-naked, and hence wholly naked. If this etymology be true the preferable form is stark-naked.

Stark

,
Verb.
T.
To stiffen.
[R.]
If horror have not
starked
your limbs.
H. Taylor.

Webster 1828 Edition

Stark

STARK

,
Adj.
[G., stark, stiff, strong; formed on the root of the G., stiff, rigid. See Starch and Steer.]
1.
Stiff; strong; rugged.
Many a nobleman lies stark and stiff, under the hoofs of vaunting enemies.
The north is not so stark and cold.
2.
Deep; full; profound; absolute.
He pronounces the citation stark nonsense.

STARK

,
adv.
Wholly; entirely; absolutely; as stark mad; stark blind; stark naked. These are the principal applications of this word now in use. The word is in popular use, but not an elegant word in any of its applications.

Definition 2024

stärk

stärk

See also: stark, Stark, and stærk

Swedish

Verb

stärk

  1. imperative of stärka.

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