DIRK

dirk, a dagger, particularly the heavy dagger carried by the highlanders of scotland. the dirk as worn in full highland costume is an elaborately ornamented weapon, with cairngorms or other stones set in the head of the handle, which has no guard. inserted in the sheath there may be two small knives. the dirk, in the shape of a straight blade, with a small guard, some 18 in. long, is worn by midshipmen in the british navy. the origin of the word is doubtful. the earlier forms were _dork_ and _durk_, and the spelling _dirk_, adopted by johnson, represents the pronunciation of the second form. the name seems to have been early applied to the daggers of the highlanders, but the gaelic word is _biodag_, and the irish _duirc_, often stated to be the origin, is only an adaptation of the english word. it may be a corruption of the german _dolch_, a dagger. the suggestion that it is an application of the christian name "dirk," the short form of "dieterich," is not borne out, according to the _new english dictionary_, by any use of this name for a dagger, and is further disproved by the earlier english spelling.