English
steak
Steak comes from Old Norse steik ‘roast’.
- Old Norsec. 800–1350steik‘roast’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500steike
- Englishearliest quotation 2000steak
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Norsec. 800–1350steik‘roast’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500steike
- Englishearliest quotation 2000steak
Earliest quotation: 2000, Nick Karas, The Complete Book of Striped Bass Fishing: “Really large bass can be treated as filets, as…”
The story
The modern pronunciation shows an irregular change of Early Modern English /ɛː/ to /eɪ/ in the standard language; contrast this with the development of other words such as speak and wreak.
Every English word from Old Norse steik
Today it means
noun Beefsteak: a slice of beef, broiled or cut for broiling.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old Norse steik / steak