English
duke
Duke comes from Old French duc, from Latin dux ‘leader’, from dūcō ‘to lead’, from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- ‘to pull, lead’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dewk-‘to pull’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*déwkti‘to pull’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*doukō‘to lead’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdūcō‘to lead’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdux‘leader’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400duc‘duke’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500duk‘duke’
- Englishearliest quotation 1952duke
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dewk-‘to pull’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*déwkti‘to pull’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*doukō‘to lead’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdūcō‘to lead’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdux‘leader’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400duc‘duke’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500duk‘duke’
- Englishearliest quotation 1952duke
Earliest quotation: 1952, Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man: “Your friend sure knows how to use his dukes.…”
The story
Was present as duc in late Old English, from the same Latin source. The “fist” sense is thought to be Cockney rhyming slang where “Duke(s) of York” = fork. Fork is itself Cockney slang for hand, and thus fist.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dewk- ‘to pull, to draw’
team, touch, tie, toy, introduce, tow, tying, tuck, tighten, tug, duchess, herzog, tether, taut, untie, tew, teem, induct, 94 more
through Proto-Indo-European *déwkti ‘to pull, to draw’
unproductive, productively, abductor, preproduction, 93 more
through Proto-Italic *doukō ‘to lead’
producer, productive, productivity, reproduction, conductor, reproduce, seduction, byproduct, deduct, conduction, inductive, subduction, reductive, transduction, abduct, overproduction, ductile, inductor, adductor, adduct, 97 more
through Latin dūcō ‘to lead, guide, conduct, lead away’
production, product, produce, reduce, introduction, conduct, reduction, induction, conn, douche, induce, deduction, duct, conducive, seduce, subdue, cond, transducer, redoubt, redux, 117 more
through Latin dux
education, educate, educator, doge, duce, ducal, dux, 8 more
through Old French duc ‘duke (nobleman)’
Today it means
noun The male ruler of a duchy (female equivalent: duchess).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dewk- / duke