nark

1967 (earlier narco, 1960), American English slang, shortened form of narcotics agent. It had been used 1955 for narcotics hospital, 1958 for narcotics addict. The senses and spelling have tended to merge with older but unrelated nark (q.v.).

"irritable, short-tempered," by 1901, from snark (v.) "find fault with, nag" (1882), literally "to snort" (1866), which is from an imitative source. Compare Low German snarken, North Frisian snarke, Swedish snarka; also compare snarl (v.2) and sneer (v.).

The people like a cheerful prophet. The people will feel for [sic] more kindly toward the Ford county prophet who says there will be green grass in October than they would toward some snarky pessimist with a claim about early frost, and short-lived pastures. [Topeka (Kansas) Daily Capital, Aug. 14, 1901]

Also compare narky "bad-tempered, sarcastic" (1895), British slang from earlier nark "annoying, quarrelsome, or unpleasant person" (1846), from nark (q.v.).

It seems to have emerged anew as a vogue word c. 1997 to indicate " said or written in a hostile, knowing, bitter tone of contempt." The back-formation snark (n.) "caustic, opinionated, and critical rhetoric" is by c. 2002. Related: Snarkily; snarkiness.

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "nose."

It forms all or part of: nares; nark; nasal; nasopharynx; nasturtium; ness; nose; nostril; nozzle; nuzzle; pince-nez.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit nasa, Old Persian naham, Latin nasus, Old Church Slavonic nasu, Lithuanian nosis, Old English nosu, German Nase "nose."