eke
1[ eek ]
/ ik /
verb (used with object), eked, ek·ing.
to increase; enlarge; lengthen.
Verb Phrases
eke out,
- to make (a living) or support (existence) laboriously: They managed to eke out a living by farming a small piece of land.
- to supplement; add to; stretch: to eke out an income with odd jobs.
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Origin of eke
1before 1000; Middle English eken,Old English ēac(i)an (intransitive), derivative of ēaca (noun) increase; Middle English echen,Old English ēcan, variant of īecan (transitive) <West Germanic *aukjan; both akin to Old Norse auka,Gothic aukan,Latin augēre,Greek auxánein to increase, amplify
Words nearby eke
ejusd., eka-, Ekaterinburg, Ekaterinodar, Ekaterinoslav, eke, eke out, EKG, ekistic, ekistician, ekistics
Definition for eke (2 of 2)
Origin of eke
2before 900; Middle English eek,Old English ēc, ēac; cognate with German auch,Old Norse, Gothic auk
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for eke
British Dictionary definitions for eke (1 of 2)
eke1
/ (iːk) /
verb
(tr) archaic to increase, enlarge, or lengthen
Word Origin for eke
Old English eacan; related to Old Norse auka to increase, Latin augēre to increase
British Dictionary definitions for eke (2 of 2)
eke2
/ (iːk) /
sentence connector
archaic also; moreover
Word Origin for eke
Old English eac; related to Old Norse, Gothic auk also, Old High German ouh, Latin autem but, aut or
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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