duke

¹ American  

[dook, dyook] / duk, dyuk /

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.

3. a nobleman of corresponding rank in certain other countries.

4. a cultivated hybrid of the sweet and sour cherry.

5. Slang.  dukes, fists; hands.

   Put up your dukes.

---

verb (used with object)

duked, duking

1. Slang.  to hit or thrash with the fists (sometimes followed byout ): The bully said he was going to duke out anyone who disagreed.

   He duked me because he said I had insulted him.

   The bully said he was going to duke out anyone who disagreed.

idioms

1. duke it out,  to fight, especially with the fists; do battle.

   The adversaries were prepared to duke it out in the alley.

Duke ² American  

[dook, dyook] / duk, dyuk /

noun

1. Benjamin Newton, 1855–1929, and his brother, James Buchanan, 1856–1925, U.S. industrialists.

2. a male given name.

---

duke British  

/ djuːk /

noun

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

---

Etymology

Origin of duke

First recorded in 1100–50; Middle English duke, duc, late Old English duc, from Old French duc, dus, dux, from Medieval Latin dux “hereditary ruler of a small state,” Latin: “leader”; dux; duke def. 5 dukes (in the sense “fists”) of unclear derivation and perhaps of distinct origin

Example Sentences

Thanks to his noble position—Jean was a son, brother and uncle of French kings—the duke had become a patron of the arts, and he commissioned several books of hours throughout his life.

From The Wall Street Journal

He concluded that the duke had been attacked by several individuals simultaneously and had even been struck while lying on the ground.

From Science Daily

Her notes outline plans to found an international bank, buy a Swedish castle, and even to ingratiate herself with a British duke.

From BBC

Put into the same boxing ring to duke it out, the movie’s unintentional silliness easily KO’s its blips of emotional gravity.

From Salon

On 15 February 2022 a letter filed to the US district court said the duke and Ms Giuffre had reached an out-of-court settlement.

From BBC

Related Words

• czar
• emperor
• king
• monarch
• shah
• sultan