duke

noun

The definition of a duke is a high hereditary title in England, or is a ruler of certain small independent states in Europe.

A man holding a high hereditary title in England is an example of a duke.

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duke. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Duke

duke

a prince who rules an independent duchy
a nobleman of the highest hereditary rank below that of prince
any of several varieties of cherry created by crossing a sweet cherry with a sour cherry

Origin of duke

Middle English duk from Old French duc from Classical Latin dux, leader from ducere, to lead: see duct

[pl.] the fists or hands

Origin of duke

from duke, short for Duke of York, used in 19th-c. eastern; English rhyming slang for fork, hence fingers, hence fist

transitive verb

intransitive verb

duked, duking

to hit or fight with the fists

duke Idioms

duke it out

to fight, esp. with the fists

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MLA Style

"duke." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 March 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Duke>.

APA Style

duke. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Duke

duke

noun

A nobleman with the highest hereditary rank, especially a man of the highest grade of the peerage in Great Britain.
A sovereign prince who rules an independent duchy in some European countries.
Used as the title for such a nobleman.
dukes Slang The fists: Put up your dukes!
Botany A type of cherry intermediate between a sweet and a sour cherry.

intransitive verb

duked, duk·ing, dukes

To fight, especially with fists: duking it out.

Origin of duke

Middle English from Old French duc from Latin dux duc- leader from dūcere to lead ; see deuk- in Indo-European roots. N., sense 4, short for Duke of Yorks rhyming slang for forks fingers

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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MLA Style

"duke." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 March 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Duke>.

APA Style

duke. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Duke

Noun

(plural dukes)

The male ruler of a duchy (compare duchess).
A high title of nobility; the male holder of a dukedom.
A grand duke.
(slang, usually in plural) A fist.
Put up your dukes!
This is thought to be derived from Cockney rhyming slang where Duke(s) of York = Fork. Fork is itself cockney slang for hand, and thus fist.

Related terms

duchy

Verb

(third-person singular simple present dukes, present participle duking, simple past and past participle duked)

To hit or beat with the fists.

Origin

From Old French duc, from Latin dux.

Proper noun

The title of a duke.
A male given name; mostly US and rather rare.
A private university in North Carolina.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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MLA Style

"duke." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 March 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Duke>.

APA Style

duke. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Duke

duke

duke

duke

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