What does cark mean?
"Cark" is a now-rare English word meaning heavy care, anxiety, or mental burden. As a noun it denotes the weight of worry that presses upon the mind; as a verb it means to worry, distress, or burden, whether oneself or another. The word descends through Old French from the Late Latin "carricare," meaning to load onto a cart — making it a direct relative of "charge," "cargo," and even "carry." This etymology gives the word its enduring metaphorical force: worries are literally loads we haul about. Though largely obsolete in everyday speech, "cark" lingers in literary contexts and in the derivative "carking," as in "carking cares." Its rhyme with common words like "dark" and "mark" once made it a favorite of poets. For readers of older literature, knowing "cark" unlocks lines that would otherwise puzzle: when a poet bids you lay aside your cark, he is simply asking you to set down your burdens and rest.
A burden of the mind; care, anxiety, or worry.
"Age had not dulled his spirit, nor lightened his cark."
Chiefly literary or archaic in modern English.
To worry, distress, or burden; to weigh down with cares.
"She refused to cark herself with what tomorrow might bring."
Often used reflexively, as in 'to cark oneself.'
The plural is rare, since the word itself is chiefly archaic; it typically appears in literary phrases such as 'the carks of life.'
"The poem laments the many carks that attend old age."
Every time you 'charge' a battery or ship 'cargo,' you're using cousins of this forgotten word for worry — all from Latin for loading a cart.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does cark come from?
"Cark" entered Middle English from Old Northern French "carkier" (also "charquier"), itself from Late Latin "carricare," meaning to load a cart, from Latin "carrus" (a wheeled vehicle). The literal sense of loading gave rise to the figurative sense of being weighed down by cares. It is thus cognate with "charge," "cargo," and "carry," which share the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How cark is actually used
"Cark" is now rare and literary, appearing mostly in older poetry and prose (notably in Shakespeare's contemporaries and later antiquarian writing). It carries an elevated, somewhat archaic flavor; in modern usage it survives mainly in the adjective "carking" (e.g., "carking cares").