noun
1.
(in Continental Europe) the male ruler of a duchy; the sovereign of a small state.
2.
a British nobleman holding the highest hereditary title outside the royal family, ranking immediately below a prince and above a marquis; a member of the highest rank of the British peerage. Compare royal duke.
3.
a nobleman of corresponding rank in certain other countries.
4.
a cultivated hybrid of the sweet and sour cherry.
5.
dukes, Slang. fists; hands: Put up your dukes.
verb (used with object)
6.
Slang. to hit or thrash with the fists (sometimes followed by out ): He duked me because he said I had insulted him. The bully said he was going to duke out anyone who disagreed.
00:10
Duke
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is absquatulate. Does it mean:
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
| to flee; abscond: |
7.
duke it out, to fight, especially with the fists; do battle: The adversaries were prepared to duke it out in the alley.
Origin:
1100–50; Middle English duke, duc, late Old English duc < Old French duc, dus, dux < Medieval Latin dux hereditary ruler of a small state, Latin: leader; see dux; dukes “fists” of unclear derivation and perhaps of distinct orig.
1100–50; Middle English duke, duc, late Old English duc < Old French duc, dus, dux < Medieval Latin dux hereditary ruler of a small state, Latin: leader; see dux; dukes “fists” of unclear derivation and perhaps of distinct orig.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
1.
Benjamin Newton, 1855–1929, and his brother, James Buchanan, 1856–1925, U.S. industrialists.
2.
a male given name.
ɪŋ
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.
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Link To duke
Collins
World English Dictionary
duke (djuːk) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a nobleman of high rank: in the British Isles standing above the other grades of the nobility |
| 2. | the prince or ruler of a small principality or duchy |
| Related: ducal | |
| [C12: from Old French duc, from Latin dux leader] | |
| Ellington (ˈɛlɪŋtən) | |
| —n | |
| Duke, nickname of Edward Kennedy Ellington. 1899--1974, US jazz composer, pianist, and conductor, famous for such works as "Mood Indigo" and "Creole Love Call" | |
| Wayne (weɪn) | |
| —n | |
| John, real name Marion Michael Morrison. 1907--79, US film actor, noted esp for his many Westerns, which include Stagecoach (1939), The Alamo (1960), and True Grit (1969), for which he won an Oscar | |
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
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
duke
1129, from O.Fr. duc and L. dux (gen. ducis) "leader, commander," in L.L. "governor of a province," from ducere "to lead," from PIE *deuk- "to lead" (cf. O.E. togian "to pull, drag," O.H.G. ziohan "to pull," O.E. togian "to draw, drag"). Applied in Eng. to "nobleman of the highest rank" probably first
c.1350, ousting native earl. Used to translate various European titles (e.g. Rus. knyaz).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Easton
Bible Dictionary
Duke definition
derived from the Latin dux, meaning "a leader;" Arabic, "a sheik." This word is used to denote the phylarch or chief of a tribe (Gen. 36:15-43; Ex. 15:15; 1 Chr. 1:51-54).
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Example sentences from the web
Several members have achieved and have been awarded with their gold duke of edinburgh.
The name comes from the fact that the latter house is owned by the duke.
He preferred duke to marion, and the name stuck for the rest of his life.
I beg you to strike a medal for duke, to order the president to strike it.
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