ETYM Cf. German, Dan., and Swed. kork, Dutch kurk; all from Spanish corcho, from Latin cortex, corticis, bark, rind. Related to Cortex.
1. Outer bark of the cork oak; used for stoppers for bottles etc.
2. The plug in the mouth of a bottle (especially a wine bottle).

To close a bottle with a cork; SYN. cork up.

Light, waterproof outer layers of the bark of the stems and roots of almost all trees and shrubs. The cork oak Quercus suber, a native of S Europe and N Africa, is cultivated in Spain and Portugal; the exceptionally thick outer layers of its bark provide the cork that is used commercially.
(county) Largest county of the Republic of Ireland, in the province of Munster; county town Cork; area 7,460 sq km/2,880 sq mi; It is agricultural, but there is also some copper and manganese mining, marble quarrying, and river and sea fishing. Natural gas and oil fields are found off the S coast at Kinsale. It includes Bantry Bay and the village of Blarney. There is a series of ridges and vales running NE–SW across the county. The Nagles and Boggeraph mountains run across the center, separating the two main rivers, the Blackwater and the Lee. Towns are Cobh, Bantry, Youghal, Fermoy, and Mallow.(city) City and seaport of County Cork, on the river Lee, at the head of the long inlet of Cork harbor; Cork is the second port of the Republic of Ireland. The lower section of the harbor can berth liners, and the city has distilleries, shipyards, and iron foundries. Other industries include tanning, food processing, and brewing. St Finbarr's 7th-century monastery was the original foundation of Cork. It was eventually settled by Danes who were dispossessed by the English 1172.