eke

1
[ eek ]
See synonyms for eke on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),eked, ek·ing.
  1. to increase; enlarge; lengthen.

Verb Phrases
  1. 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

1
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

Words Nearby eke

Other definitions for eke (2 of 2)

eke2
[ eek ]

adverbArchaic.

Origin of eke

2
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. 2024

How to use eke in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for eke (1 of 2)

eke1

/ (iːk) /


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

Origin of eke

1
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
  1. archaic also; moreover

Origin of eke

2
Old English eac; related to Old Norse, Gothic auk also, Old High German ouh, Latin autem but, aut or

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