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Which Words Did English Take From Other Languages?English—is one of the most incredible, flavorfully-complex melting pots of linguistic ingredients from other countries. These linguistic ingredients are called loanwords that have been borrowed and incorporated into English. The loanwords are oftentimes so common now, the foreign flavor has been completely lost.
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Definition for dyke (2 of 3)
dyke
2or dike
[ dahyk ]
/ daɪk /
noun Slang: Disparaging and Offensive.
a contemptuous term used to refer to a lesbian.
Origin of dyke
21940–45; earlier in form bulldike (with a variant bulldagger); of obscure origin; claimed to be a shortening of morphodyke (variant of morphodite, a reshaping of hermaphrodite), though morphodyke is more likely a blend of morphodite and a pre-existing dyke; other hypothesized connections, such as with diked out or dike “ditch,” are dubious on semantic grounds
Related formsdyk·ey, adjective, dyk·i·er, dyk·i·est.
Usage note
The terms dyke and bull dyke are used with disparaging intent and are perceived as insulting. However, they have been adopted as positive terms of self-reference by young or radical lesbians and in the academic community. In the mainstream homosexual community, gay and lesbian remain the terms of choice.
Definition for dyke (3 of 3)
dike
1or dyke
[ dahyk ]
/ daɪk /
noun
verb (used with object), diked, dik·ing.
to furnish or drain with a dike.
to enclose, restrain, or protect by a dike: to dike a tract of land.
Origin of dike
1Related formsdik·er, nounun·diked, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for dyke (1 of 4)
dyke
1dike
/ (daɪk) /
noun
verb
civil engineering an embankment or wall built to confine a river to a particular course
(tr) to protect, enclose, or drain (land) with a dyke
Word Origin for dyke
C13: modification of Old English dic ditch; compare Old Norse dīki ditch
British Dictionary definitions for dyke (2 of 4)
dyke
2dike
/ (daɪk) /
noun
slang a lesbian
Word Origin for dyke
C20: of unknown origin
British Dictionary definitions for dyke (3 of 4)
Dyke
/ (dɑɪk) /
noun
Greg (ory). born 1947, British television executive; director-general of the BBC (2000–04)
British Dictionary definitions for dyke (4 of 4)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Science definitions for dyke
dike
[ dīk ]
A body of igneous rock that cuts across the structure of adjoining rock, usually as a result of the intrusion of magma. Dikes are often of a different composition from the rock they cut across. They are usually on the order of centimeters to meters across and up to tens of kilometers long. See illustration at batholith.
An embankment of earth and rock built to prevent floods or to hold irrigation water in for agricultural purposes.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.