Duke

¹

[dook, dyook]

noun

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

2. a male given name.

duke

²

[dook, dyook]

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.

duke

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Duke¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Duke¹

C12: from Old French duc, from Latin dux leader

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

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

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.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The movie star Clark Gable visited the hotel, and I once got to meet a duke and duchess from England.

Read more on Literature

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

Read more on Science Daily

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

Read more on BBC

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

Read more on Salon

Related Words

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