Etymology

With close analogues to the English word including verbs from Modern Scandinavian languages (Icel lurka ‘to deceive, allure’, Norw lurka ‘to sneak away’, Sw dial lurka ‘to be slow in one’s work’) and  WGmc (LG lurken ‘to shuffle along’), an ON word or a native cognate could be the source of the ME. The ulterior etymology is difficult, and the most plausible solution is probably to take *lūr-k- as a k-extension (cp. walk, talk, etc.) on a PGmc *lūr-, as in ME louren, PDE lour, which is first recorded c. 1300 (see MED s.v. louren, OED s.v. lour, lower v.); this word has late medieval and modern cognates elsewhere in Gmc (cp. Icel (17c) lúra ‘to be on the lookout, spy on, deceive’ and ‘to doze, nap’, and cognates in the continental Scandinavian languages in the same senses; Du loeren ‘to frown, watch stealthily’, and MHG and MLG lūren ‘to lie in wait’, Ger lauern), but is itself of uncertain origin. A connection with Norw larka ‘to dangle, drag along’ and lark ‘lazy fellow’ is also possible (Mag., Torp).  

PGmc Ancestor

*lūr-k- 

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

(ONP )

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Icel lurka, Norw lurka, Sw dial. lurka

OE Cognate

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

BB2a

Attestation

Widespread in ME.

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Gaw 1180, 1195; Pe 978; Pat 277; WA 3991

Shaw (1980) argues persuasively for a translation ‘lurk, lie hid’ for both instances in Gaw (as in GDS, ‘lie concealed’), while most other recent editors agree with TGD’s ‘lie snug’  for 1180 (and see Vantuono 1180n, and MED’s sense (d) ‘to lie comfortably’), but there is less of a consensus about 1195 (TGD give ‘lurking’and MED allots it to sense (c) ‘to cower, skulk, keep out of sight’). See also PS 1180n.

Bibliography

MED lurken (v.) , OED lurk (v.) , HTOED , Dance lurke, Mag. lurka, Torp NnEO lurk (2)