eke

¹

[eek]

verb (used with object)

eked, eking 

1. to increase; enlarge; lengthen.

verb phrase

1. eke out

   1. to make (a living) or support (existence) laboriously.

      They managed to eke out a living by farming a small piece of land.

   2. to supplement; add to; stretch.

      to eke out an income with odd jobs.

eke

²

[eek]

adverb

Archaic.

1. also.

eke

¹

/ iːk /

verb

1. archaic,  (tr) to increase, enlarge, or lengthen

eke

²

/ iːk /

1. archaic,  also; moreover

Word History and Origins

Origin of eke¹

before 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

Origin of eke²

before 900; Middle English eek, Old English ēc, ēac; cognate with German auch, Old Norse, Gothic auk

Word History and Origins

Origin of eke¹

Old English eacan; related to Old Norse auka to increase, Latin augēre to increase

Origin of eke²

Old English eac; related to Old Norse, Gothic auk also, Old High German ouh, Latin autem but, aut or

Example Sentences

In addition, to eke out votes from lawmakers representing smaller cities, SB 79 zones shrank to a quarter mile in cities with less than 35,000 residents, compared with a half mile everywhere else.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Europe went on to eke out a 15-13 win, marking the first time since Europe’s win in 2012 that either side had managed to win this biennial showdown on foreign soil.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Using armies of lawyers and bankers, they eke out more profit by using offshore reinsurance transactions to free up capital.

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The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies agreed on a restrained oil output increase on par with earlier moves, a bet that the group can eke out more revenue without causing a crash in prices.

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But SB 79 is also loaded up with exemptions, deferrals and carve-outs, some of them the product of the scramble to eke out the votes, complicating the effort to understand the bill’s impact.

Read more on Los Angeles Times