verb (used with object), eked, ek·ing.
Verb phrases 1.
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.
00:10
Eke
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
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
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. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To EKE
Collins
World English Dictionary
eke1 (iːk) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| archaic (tr) to increase, enlarge, or lengthen | |
| [Old English eacan; related to Old Norse auka to increase, Latin augēre to increase] | |
| eke2 (iːk) | |
| —sentence connector | |
| archaic also; moreover | |
| [Old English eac; related to Old Norse, Gothic auk also, Old High German ouh, Latin autem but, aut or] | |
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
eke 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
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
In the surrounding countryside, farmers eke out a living growing a variety of crops, mostly rice and peanuts.
My father was able to somehow eke out a living in spite of it all.
But many companies are still bleeding cash and desperately searching for novel ways to eke out savings.
Yet it is not clear whether the makers of these screens will ever be able to again eke out a profit.
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