Asmirk is asmile evoking insolence, scorn, or offensive smugness, falling into the category of whatDesmond Morris described as Deformed-compliment Signals.[1]
A smirk may also be an affected, ingratiating smile,[2] as inMr Bennet's description ofMr Wickham as making smirking love to all his new in-laws in the novelPride and Prejudice.[3]
The word derives fromOld Englishsmearcian, viaMiddle Englishsmirken.It is from the same root assmile, from Proto-Germanic*smar-, but with a velar root extension-k- (with intensive or frequentative function) particular to English also found intalk (from the root oftell) andstalk (from the root ofsteal) etc.
The specific meaning of a mocking or unpleasant, malicious smile or grin develops inEarly Modern English, but until the 18th century, it could still be used in the generic sense "to smile".[4]
George Puttenham in the 16th century described what he called “a mock with a scornful countenance as in some smiling sort looking aside”.[5]
"A constant smirk upon the face, and a whiffling activity of the body, are strong indications of futility," theEarl of Chesterfield once wrote in a letter to his son.[6]
German-born psychiatristFritz Perls considered the most difficult patients to be the clever know-it-alls, recognisable by what he called “a specific kind of smile, a kind of smirk, a smirk that says, 'Oh, you're an idiot! I know better. I can outwit you and control you'”.[7]
