What does murk mean, you ask? Glad you asked, cuz that’s the whole point of this article. We’ll look at the meaning, alternate spellings, and and what it means to be “murked out.”
What Does Murk Mean?
/ ˈmərk / Verb (t): to murder, to kill someone
Murk is a slang term that means murder. If you kill someone, you murk them.
The term is sometimes spelled MERK. Many attribute the latter to the term “mercenary,” itself an abbreviation for “mercenary.” A mercenary is a soldier-for-hire; the term reportedly became popular in online gaming communities and transitioned over to real life.
Merked out members of the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI). These guys are carrying M4s that used to belong to ANA SOF troops. The GDI is headquartered in Sash Darak, Kabul. Their motto is “We strike to destroy.” Hopefully they’ll be murked before too long.
How one became the other, or even the idea that they developed concurrently, remains a topic of discussion. Since no one here on staff is a lexicographer (or for that matter an etymologist), we’ll just leave that up for debate.
Hell, we actually had to do some Google searching to find those words so we sound fancy. Hopefully we won’t serve as an example of catachresis.
Murk Definition/Merk Meaning
This is the more common definition of the word. The U version can be mistaken for this; the E version of the word less so.
Murked Out
This simply refers to an object that is utilizes a black color scheme or shades of black and very dark grey in combination. There are “murked out” cars, flannel shirts, battle rattle, even craft beers.
Iraqi ICTF soldiers in murked out gear.
It is a phrase that builds on the “murder” transitive verb as well as the traditional definition of the word:
Murk or mirk
noun. darkness; gloom: the murk of a foggy night.
adjective. Archaic. dark; murky.
Gun inception: Merked out members of a specialized Sudanese Police Unit as they pose with what’s locally knows as a Terab rifle; the Terab is a Sudanese copy of the Iranian DIO S-5.56 rifle – which is itself a copy of the Chinese Norinco CQ rifle…which is a copy of the American M16a1. Via @streakingdelilah.
MERK Urban Dictionary Style
To be killed, murdered, or otherwise mercilessly and overwhelmingly defeated or put down. (well executed and without struggle, the way a pro mercenary would do it.) Became popular in early 2000s…
And there ya have it. You’re welcome.
A murked out vehicle that has apparently been merked. Or maybe just the driver was. Same difference. (Image via @angelarmorpro, check ’em out.)
Read ya some more military slang and tactical terms.
⚠️ Some hyperlinks in this article may contain affiliate links. If you use them to make a purchase, we will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
I tend to agree with the first commenter, it’s spelled merc.
Actually, I thought the correct spelling of “murk” was “merc.” Taken directly from “mercenary.” I have never seen it spelled in any of the variations contained in the article. I am surprised that you found that spelling.
“Merc” seems more correct to me than any of the spellings you suggest in your article. I suspect those were originated from some folks who didn’t know how to spell “mercenary.”
Hello guys, firs of all, id like to thank you a lot for all your amazing articles and for what you do for the community.
And
Just to let you know that the link for LITHUANIAN GUERRILLA WARFARE MANUAL – TRANSLATED TO ENGLISH is not working.
And it’s to bad beacause it’s a very interesting topic. If you can fix it please.
Best regards.