What does carked mean?
"Carked" is the past tense of the now largely archaic verb "cark," meaning to burden, weigh down, or distress someone, whether with physical loads or — more often — with worry, grief, and care. The word entered English in the Middle Ages from Old French, ultimately tracing back to Late Latin carricare, "to load onto a cart," the same source that gives us "charge," "cargo," and "carriage." In its heyday, being carked meant carrying cares the way a cart carries goods; poets used it to describe minds oppressed by sorrow or worldly trouble. Today the word has all but vanished from everyday speech, surviving mainly in older literature and regional British dialects, which lends it an antique, literary flavor. It is most useful to readers encountering historical texts, where "carked with care" signals a soul laden with anxiety rather than anything to do with modern senses of similar-sounding words.
verbPast tense and past participle of "cark": to weigh down, burden, or distress; to worry or vex. Now chiefly literary or dialectal.
- To burden or oppress with care, grief, or anxiety.
- To worry, fret, or vex.
"The old debt had carked him for years before he finally paid it off."
"He was sorely carked by the thought of what might become of his children."
"Do not let such small matters cark you."
Before it faded into dialect, "cark" was Shakespeare's word for the anxieties that load the soul — it shares its ancient root with "charge," as in a cargo loaded onto a cart.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does carked come from?
"Cark" comes from Middle English carken, borrowed from Old North French carkier or carguer, meaning to load or burden. This descends from Late Latin carricare, "to load a wagon," derived from carrus, "cart" — making it a sibling of "charge," "cargo," "carry," and "carriage." The verb was common in Middle English and later literature, especially in Scottish and Northern dialects, but has been fading since at least the eighteenth century.
Related word forms
How carked is actually used
Archaic or dialectal in modern English; encountered mostly in older literature, especially Scottish and Northern English writing. The noun "cark," meaning anxiety or a burden of care, survives in similar literary registers.
Easily confused with carked
"Corked" describes wine spoiled by a tainted cork, while "carked" means burdened or worried.