Murky

How to spell murky

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce murky

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does murky mean?

1. adjectiveDark, dim, or clouded so that it is hard to see through.
2. adjectiveNot clearly explained or honest; suspiciously vague.

Murky in a sentence

• The divers could barely see their hands in the murky water.

• The company's murky finances worried the auditors.

• A murky fog settled over the harbour at dawn.

• His account of where the money went stayed deliberately murky.

Where does murky come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word grows from the noun 'murk', meaning darkness or gloom, which English carried down from Old English 'mirce' and was reinforced by the closely related Old Norse 'myrkr', both meaning 'dark' or 'darkness'. The adjective 'murky' began appearing in the 1300s, formed by adding the everyday English suffix '-y' to make 'full of darkness'. For centuries it described literal dimness: poorly lit rooms, gloomy nights, and water clouded with sediment. By the 1600s writers were stretching it to abstract uses, so that an obscure motive or a doubtful reputation could be called murky too. The spelling is reliably phonetic, with the only mild trap being the unstressed 'er' sound captured by '-ur-' rather than '-ir-' or '-er-', a clue preserved from its 'murk' root.

How the word is built

• murk (darkness, gloom)
• -y (adjective suffix: full of, characterised by)