duke

¹

[ 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. dukes, Slang. fists; hands:

   Put up your dukes.

verb (used with object)

, duked, duk·ing.

1. Slang. to hit or thrash with the fists (sometimes followed by out ): 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

²

[ dook, dyook ]

noun

1. Benjamin Newton, 1855–1929, and his brother, James Buchanan, 1856–1925, U.S. industrialists.
2. a male given name.

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

The British media reported that the duke will probably remain in hospital over the weekend and into next week.

From Washington Post

It’s been decades since Duke and UNC both missed NCAA tournament, but it could happen this yearOklahoma State thought the ban was too severe and appealed.

From Washington Post

After I proposed to the love of my life back in October, we stayed at Duke’s to celebrate our engagement.

From Washington Post

Duke is one of the teams whose small sample size makes it hard to accurately assess.

From Washington Post

After college at Purdue, Egger got a job in the dairy department of General Mills, where she worked for three years before enrolling in business school at Duke.

From MIT Technology Review

Duke was a state representative whose neo-Nazi alliances were disgorged in media reports during his run for governor in 1991.

From The Daily Beast

Scalise never would have spoken to EURO had Duke been there in person.

From The Daily Beast

But after winning 55 percent of the white vote, Duke had a database of supporters some politicians coveted.

From The Daily Beast

The “doctorate” Duke claims is from an anti-Semitic Ukranian “diploma mill” as described by the State Department.

From The Daily Beast

“I did not contribute to him, he did not contribute to me,” Duke said.

From The Daily Beast

Without preface, he abruptly asked, what had been told him of the Duke of Wharton's behaviour the preceding night.

From Project Gutenberg

One evening, while he was thus engaged, he observed de Patinos and Duke Wharton enter together.

From Project Gutenberg

Martini was on his mission to Vienna; but another valet was put into the chariot to support the Duke.

From Project Gutenberg

Wharton and Louis had withdrawn their hands at the same instant they caught his eye; and the Duke turned into the circle.

From Project Gutenberg

The Duke found no difficulty in awakening the wishes, which were necessary to his scheme, in the mind of young Lorraine.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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