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cark

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

To worry excessively or be burdened with anxious care; as a noun, a state of distressing concern or the cause of such anxiety.

Detailed Definition
“Cark” denotes gnawing anxiety, often over worldly concerns. In moral poetry, it contrasts with spiritual peace—“free from cark and care.” Its rarity today enhances archaic tone, suiting meditative or didactic verse. The word’s sharp consonants mimic mental distress, making it effective in descriptions of inner turmoil, especially in religious contexts warning against material attachment.
Example
Example in poetry:
"Cark and care consume the merchant’s soul," a moralizing couplet; In Spenser: "Free from cark and worldly care"; "No cark shall trouble this sacred grove," vows the pastoral poet; Shakespeare rarely uses "cark," but it appears in contemporary verse as "anxiety"; "Cark not for tomorrow, for today has enough," adapts the biblical injunction; Her brow was furrowed with cark for her absent son.
Additional Notes
“Cark” (from Old French “carque,” meaning “anxiety”) denotes gnawing worry; though rare, it appears in 17th-century devotional or introspective verse to describe spiritual or existential dread, often paired with “care” for emphasis.
Also Known As
worry fret brood
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