eke

[eek]

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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.

Origin of eke

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

eke

[eek]

adverb Archaic.

also.

Origin of eke

before 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. 2019

Related Words for eke

augment, economize, fill, husband, increase, magnify, stretch, supplement

Examples from the Web for eke

Contemporary Examples of eke

The polls say Republicans will likely eke out a small majority in the Senate this Election Day.
How This Election Could Go to January
Michael Tomasky
October 24, 2014
They made the playoffs just four times and managed to eke out only one playoff series win.
Donald Sterling’s Last Laugh: Force Him to Sell the Clippers and He Could Pay No Taxes
Nick Lum
May 5, 2014
Thanks to an unexpectedly strong showing in the West and the farm belt, Truman managed to eke out re-election.
David's Bookclub: Strom Thurmond's America
David Frum
April 16, 2013
Polls suggests he should be able to eke out a win of three points or so.
Michael Tomasky Makes His Election 2012 Predictions
Michael Tomasky
November 6, 2012
President Obama is likely to eke out a popular vote victory and a win the electoral college.
Intrade: An Ohio Story
Matthew Zeitlin
November 5, 2012

Historical Examples of eke

Faults of temper she may have had, and eke narrow prejudices on sundry points.
In the Valley
Harold Frederic
Then shall he not go without a ducking and eke a drubbing himself!
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Howard Pyle
Can you, from the brief minutes I have left, Eke out my reparation?
Browning's England
Helen Archibald Clarke
How he contrived to eke out subsistence was difficult to conceive.
Confessions Of Con Cregan
Charles James Lever
She had a small pension from the Government, and she worked at dressmaking to eke it out.
Olive in Italy
Moray Dalton

British Dictionary definitions for eke

eke

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

eke

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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for eke

c.1200, eken "to increase, lengthen," north England and E. Midlands variant of echen from Old English ecan, eacan, eacian "to increase," probably from eaca "an increase," from Proto-Germanic *aukan (cf. Old Norse auka, Old Frisian aka, Old High German ouhhon, Gothic aukan), from PIE *aug- "to increase" (see augment).

Now mainly in phrase to eke out (1590s). It means "to make something go further or last longer;" you can eke out your income by taking a second job, but you can't eke out your existence. Related: Eked; eking.

adv.

"also" (obsolete), from Old English eac, cognate with Old Saxon, Old Dutch ok, Old Norse and Gothic auk, Old Frisian ak, Old High German ouh, German auch "also;" probably related to eke (v.).