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hake

[heyk]
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noun, plural (especially collectively) hake, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) hakes.
  1. any marine fish of the genus Merluccius, closely related to the cods, especially M. bilinearis, found off the New England coast.
  2. any of several related marine fishes, especially of the genus Urophycis.
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Origin of hake

1275–1325; Middle English; special use of Old English haca hook; compare Middle Low German haken kipper salmon
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for hake

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • The salt-barrels were emptied and crowded out by the cod, hake, and pollock.

    The Harbor of Doubt

    Frank Williams

  • Hake meanwhile stood listening to the rooks in the distance.

    Lavengro

    George Borrow

  • This story, often told by Hake, appeared at last in print in his memoirs.

    Old Familiar Faces

    Theodore Watts-Dunton

  • In style, in education, in experience, whatever Hake was Borrow was p. 216not.

    Old Familiar Faces

    Theodore Watts-Dunton

  • His friendship with Hake began when Hake was practising as a physician in Norfolk.

    Old Familiar Faces

    Theodore Watts-Dunton

British Dictionary definitions for hake

hake1

noun plural hake or hakes
  1. any gadoid food fish of the genus Merluccius, such as M. merluccius (European hake), of the N hemisphere, having an elongated body with a large head and two dorsal fins
  2. any North American fish of the genus Urophycis, similar and related to Merluccius species
  3. Australian another name for barracouta
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Word Origin

C15: perhaps from Old Norse haki hook; compare Old English hacod pike; see hook

hake2

noun
  1. a wooden frame for drying cheese or fish
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Word Origin

C18: variant of heck ²
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 hake

n.

type of sea fish, c.1300, probably from Old English haca "a hook, door-fastening" (cf. hacod "pike" the fish), or Old Norse haki "hook," from the shape of its jaw, both from Proto-Germanic *hakan- (cf. Dutch hake "hook"), from PIE root *keg- "hook, tooth" (see hook).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper