duke
[ dook, dyook ]
/ duk, dyuk /
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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 about 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
Other definitions 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. 2022
How to use duke in a sentence
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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