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in the wake of

 - 5 dictionary results

wake

2  [weyk]
Use in the wake of in a Sentence
–noun
1. the track of waves left by a ship or other object moving through the water: The wake of the boat glowed in the darkness.
2. the path or course of anything that has passed or preceded: The tornado left ruin in its wake.
—Idiom
3. in the wake of,
a. as a result of: An investigation followed in the wake of the scandal.
b. succeeding; following: in the wake of the pioneers.
Origin:
1540–50; < MLG, D wake, or ON vǫk hole in the ice
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To in the wake of
wake 2   (wāk)   
n.  

  1. The visible track of turbulence left by something moving through water: the wake of a ship.

  2. A track, course, or condition left behind something that has passed: The war left destruction and famine in its wake.


[Possibly from Middle Low German, hole in the ice, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse vök.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

wake

A funeral celebration, common in Ireland, at which the participants stay awake all night keeping watch over the body of the dead person before burial. A wake traditionally involves a good deal of feasting and drinking.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

wake  (n.1)
"track left by a moving ship," 1547, perhaps from M.L.G. or M.Du. wake "hole in the ice," from O.N. vok, vaka "hole in the ice," from P.Gmc. *wakwo. The sense perhaps evolved via "track made by a vessel through ice." Perhaps the Eng. word is directly from Scand. Fig. phrase in the wake of "following close behind" is recorded from 1806.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

in the wake of

  1. Following directly on, as in In the wake of the procession, a number of small children came skipping down the aisle. This usage alludes to the waves made behind a passing vessel. [c. 1800]

  2. In the aftermath of, as a consequence of, as in Famine often comes in the wake of war. [Mid-1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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