sulk

• IPA^(key): /sʌlk/

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• Rhymes: -ʌlk

Back-formation from sulky, of uncertain origin. Probably from Middle English *sulke, *solke (attested in solcennesse (“idleness; laziness”), from Old English āsolcennys (“idleness; slothfulness; sluggishness; laziness”), from āsolcen (“sulky, languid”), from past participle of āseolcan (“be slow; be weak or slothful; languish”), from Proto-Germanic *selkaną (“to fall in drops; dribble; droop”), from Proto-Indo-European *sélǵ-o-nom, from *selǵ- (“to let go, send”). Cognate with several Indo-Iranian words deriving from Proto-Indo-Iranian *sarȷ́-[1] (such as Sanskrit सृजति (sṛjáti), सर्जति (sarjati), सर्जन (sárjana), सृक (sṛká)), possibly Hittite 𒊭𒀠𒀝𒍣 (ša-al-ak-zi /šalkzi/, “knead, mix”), although the semantic connection is weak.[2]

sulk (plural sulks)

1. A state of sulking.
   • 1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy:

     He thanks our miserable Liberal agent, an unbeliever called Donald Somebody, see the caption, who since the court's arrival on his territory has retired into a fuming sulk from which he has only tonight emerged.

   Leo has been in a sulk all morning.

sulk (third-person singular simple present sulks, present participle sulking, simple past and past participle sulked)

1. (intransitive) to express ill humor or offence by remaining sullenly silent or withdrawn.

• mope

• sulkily
• sulky

Latin sulcus.

sulk (plural sulks)

1. A furrow.

• “sulk” in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
• “sulk” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• "sulk" in WordNet 2.0, Princeton University, 2003.

• Lusk, lusk