Nearby Words
verb (used with object), eked, ek·ing.
Verb phrase1.
to increase; enlarge; lengthen.
2.
eke out,
a.
to make (a living) or support (existence) laboriously: They managed to eke out a living by farming a small piece of land.
b.
to supplement; add to; stretch: to eke out an income with odd jobs.
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Eke
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is peculate. Does it mean:
| to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle. |
| to bark; yelp. |
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English eken, Old English ēac(i)an (intransitive), derivative of ēaca (noun) increase; Middle English echen, Old English ēcan, variant of īecan (transitive) < West Germanic *aukjan; both akin to Old Norse auka, Gothic aukan, Latin augēre, Greek auxánein to increase, amplify
before 1000; Middle English eken, Old English ēac(i)an (intransitive), derivative of ēaca (noun) increase; Middle English echen, Old English ēcan, variant of īecan (transitive) < West Germanic *aukjan; both akin to Old Norse auka, Gothic aukan, Latin augēre, Greek auxánein to increase, amplify
Example Sentences
- Families eke out a living by growing what food they can and by fishing.
- Many fellows would previously eke out a living as poets or other skint professionals.
- The changes were made to maximize aerodynamic efficiency and eke every last mile from the battery.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Origin:
before 900; Middle English eek, Old English ēc, ēac; cognate with German auch, Old Norse, Gothic auk
before 900; Middle English eek, Old English ēc, ēac; cognate with German auch, Old Norse, Gothic auk
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To EKE
Collins
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon
| Main Entry: | eke1 |
| Part of Speech: | v |
| Definition: | to gain or supplement with great difficulty |
| Etymology: | Latin augere 'to increase' |
| Usage: | transitive; used with out |
| Main Entry: | eke2 |
| Part of Speech: | v |
| Definition: | to increase or make last by being economical |
| Etymology: | Latin augere 'to increase' |
| Usage: | transitive; used with out |
| Main Entry: | eke |
| Part of Speech: | adv |
| Definition: | also |
| Etymology: | Old English eac |
| Usage: | archaic |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
eke
c.1200, north England and E. Midlands var. of echen from O.E. ecan, eacan, eacian "addition, reinforcement," probably from eaca "an increase," from P.Gmc. *aukan (cf. O.N. auka, O.Fris. aka, Goth. aukan), from PIE *aug- "to increase" (see augment). Now mainly in phrase to
EXPANDeke out (1590s). It means "to make something go further or last longer;" you can eke out your income by taking a second job, but you can't eke out your miserable existence. Obsolete eke "also" (O.E. eac, Ger. auch) is probably related. Related: Eked; eking
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Word Dynamo Rating For Eke
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