Kirk (church)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kirk is a Scottish word that means church . As a proper name it occurs in both Scots , Scottish English , Ulster Scots and some English dialects. It is assumed that the term, as a loan word , comes from the Koine word "κυριακόν (δωμα)" and can be translated as "House of the Lord".

In Scotland itself, the Church of Scotland is referred to as the Kirk . The term High Kirk is sometimes used by parishes of the Church of Scotland whose church buildings were called cathedral before the Reformation . For example, St Mungo's Cathedral is also known as the High Kirk of Glasgow and St Giles' Cathedral as the High Kirk of Edinburgh .

The word Kirk is part of many place and family names, but also used as a first name. ( See also: Kirk (name) )

Individual evidence

  1. collinsdictionary.com
  2. Millar, Robert McColl (2007). Northern and Insular Scots. Edinburgh University Press, ISBN 978-0-7486-2317-4 , p. 99.