Contextualizebeta

duke

noun
/dʒuːk//duːk/

Etymology

From Old French duc, through Middle English duk, duke, from Latin dux, ducis. Displaced native Old English heretoga. Was present as duc in late Old English, from the same Latin source. Doublet of doge, duc, duce, and dux. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dewk-, which is also the source of the second component in German Herzog. The “fist” sense is thought to be Cockney rhyming slang where “Duke(s) of York” = fork. Fork is itself Cockney slang for hand, and thus fist.

  1. derived from *dewk-✻
  2. derived from dux
  3. inherited from duk
  4. derived from duc

Definitions

  1. The male ruler of a duchy (female equivalent

    The male ruler of a duchy (female equivalent: duchess).

  2. The sovereign of a small state.

  3. A high title of nobility

    A high title of nobility; the male holder of a dukedom.

  4. ›+ 12 more definitions

    1. A grand duke.

    2. Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the Asian genera Bassarona and Dophla.

    3. A fist.

      • Put up your dukes!
      • “Your friend sure knows how to use his dukes. Biff, bang! One, two, and the copʼs on his ass!”
      • "How did the sport go." "O sparred a few rounds. Let the instructor have a few on the button." "You must be tough." "I can handle my dukes."

    4. To hit or beat with the fists.

      • It seems that PI Rainer was duked by his wife […].

    5. To give cash to

      To give cash to; to give a tip to.

      • I duked him twenty dollars.

    6. To perform the duties of, or rule over as, a duke.

    7. The title of a duke.

      • Percy’s military career began in France under Dukes Henry and John of Lancaster; […]

    8. A male given name from English

      A male given name from English; mostly US and rather rare.

    9. A surname originating as an occupation for service in the household of a duke, or from a…

      A surname originating as an occupation for service in the household of a duke, or from a nickname.

    10. A male nickname.

    11. Ellipsis of Duke University, a private university in Durham, North Carolina, USA.

    12. A place name

      A place name:

The neighborhood

Derived

archduke, beduke, Duke blue, duke cherry, Duke City, dukedom, dukeling, dukely, Duke of Norfolk's Island, Duke of York's Island, dukery, Dukes County, dukeship, dukicide, grand duke, grand dukedom, put up one's dukes, unduke, duke it out, duke in, duke it, duke out, duke up

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for duke. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA