cork
/kɔːrk/
noun
Origin
Latin
cortex — bark, shell, or rind
Overview
Meaning Now
- The buoyant, light, and elastic outer bark of the cork oak (Quercus suber).
- A stopper made of this material, used especially for bottles.
- Anything used to stop or plug an opening.
Literal older meaning
The outer bark of the cork oak tree.
Language path
Latin → Old Spanish / Middle English → English
Earliest form
corke
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The use of cork as a bottle stopper became widespread in the 17th century, coincident with the development of glass wine bottles. Before this, rags or wood sealed with wax were more common.
Evolution
- Classical Latin
cortex
“bark, rind”
- Vulgar Latin / Old Spanish
alcorque
“cork shoe or cork material”
Influence from Arabic 'al-qurq'.
- Middle English
corke
“cork bark”
Borrowed into English around the 14th century.
- Modern English
cork
“stopper or bark”
Connections
Word parts
cork
root
the material or stopper
Related across languages
Spanish
corcho
cork
Portuguese
cortiça
cork
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Related to cork
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.