duke
[ dook, dyook ]
/ duk, dyuk /
noun
(in Continental Europe) the male ruler of a duchy; the sovereign of a small state.
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.
a nobleman of corresponding rank in certain other countries.
a cultivated hybrid of the sweet and sour cherry.
dukes, Slang. fists; hands: Put up your dukes.
verb (used with object), duked, duk·ing.
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.
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Idioms for duke
duke it out, to fight, especially with the fists; do battle: The adversaries were prepared to duke it out in the alley.
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”; see dux; def. 5 dukes (in the sense “fists”) of unclear derivation and perhaps of distinct origin
Words nearby duke
Duisenberg, du jour, duka, Dukakis, Dukas, duke, dukedom, duked up, dukes, Dukes classification, Dukes disease
Definition for duke (2 of 2)
Duke
[ dook, dyook ]
/ duk, dyuk /
noun
Benjamin Newton, 1855–1929, and his brother, James Buchanan, 1856–1925, U.S. industrialists.
a male given name.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for duke
British Dictionary definitions for duke
duke
/ (djuːk) /
noun
a nobleman of high rank: in the British Isles standing above the other grades of the nobility
the prince or ruler of a small principality or duchy
Other words from duke
Related adjective: ducalWord Origin for duke
C12: from Old French duc, from Latin dux leader
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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