Forms: 1 cerlic, 5–6 carlok(e, 6–7 carlock(e, charlok, 6–8 chadlock(e, 7 carloc, (9 cherlock), 6– charlock. See also CADLOCK, KEDLOCK. [OE. cerlic, cyrlic of unknown etymology, probably gave cherlock, charlock. The forms in car-, ker-, cur-, are not easy to account for phonetically, unless there was also an OE. type carloc, cearloc. For the forms chadlock, chedlock, cadlock, kedlock, (OE. cedelc), see KEDLOCK. There appears no basis for the guess that the second syllable is léac, ‘leek.’]
Popular name of Sinapis arvensis or Field Mustard (N.O. Cruciferæ); but applied also to other gregarious field-weeds of the same order. Joint-podded charlock, Raphanus Raphanistrum.
a. 1000. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 297 & 451. Mercurialis, cedelc, cyrlic.
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., II. 102. Wiþ hatum omum, nim … cerlices sæd, drince on wine.
c. 1325. Gloss., in Rel. Ant., II. 80/2. Szerlok, caroil.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 62. Carlok, herbe, eruca.
a. 1450. Alphita (Anecd. Oxon.), 153. Rapistrum … anglice kennekel uel carlokes.
1562. Turner, Herbal, II. (1568), 22 a. The herbe whiche we call in Englishe Carloke or charloke, or wild cole.
1598. Gerard, Herbal, II. ii. § 2. 179. Charlock or Chadlock. Ibid., 180. Called Charlock, Kedlock, and Carlock.
1611. Cotgr., s.v. Velar, Others improperly call the Rape Chadlocke or Charlocke.
a. 1617. Bayne, On Eph. (1658), 7. Carloc is much higher than the Barly.
1645. Ward, Serm. Ho. Comm., 31. Whatever seed is cast in, it returns nothing but carlock and such like raffe.
1776. Withering, Bot. Arrangem. (1796), III. 82. The name Charlock, or as it is more commonly pronounced in the midland counties, Kedlock … is not confined to one plant only, but is indiscriminately applied to Sinapis nigra, Brassica Napus, Sinapis arvensis, and Raphanus Raphanistrum, as one or other of these abound more or less.
1862. Ld. Palmerston, Sp. at Romsey, 19 Dec. When a man walks over a field of turnips and sees it full of charlock, he must say there is room for some improvement.
1876. Whitby Gloss. (E. D. S.), 158. Runch, cherlock, chedlock, or Kedlock. [Still called curlick in Herts. by the farmers. T. Austin.]
