duke
[ dook, dyook ]
/ duk, dyuk /
noun
(in Continental Europe) the male ruler of a duchy; the sovereign of a small state.
a British nobleman holding the highest hereditary title outside the royal family, ranking immediately below a prince and above a marquis; a member of the highest rank of the British peerage.
a nobleman of corresponding rank in certain other countries.
a cultivated hybrid of the sweet and sour cherry.
dukes, Slang.
fists; hands: Put up your dukes.
verb (used with object), duked, duk·ing.
Slang.
to hit or thrash with the fists (sometimes followed by out): He duked me because he said I had insulted him. The bully said he was going to duke out anyone who disagreed.
Idioms for duke
duke it out,
to fight, especially with the fists; do battle: The adversaries were prepared to duke it out in the alley.
Origin of duke
1100–50; Middle English
duke, duc, late Old English
duc < Old French
duc, dus, dux < Medieval Latin
dux hereditary ruler of a small state, Latin: leader; see
dux;
dukes “fists” of unclear derivation and perhaps of distinct orig.
Words nearby duke
duisenberg,
duit,
duka,
dukakis,
dukas,
duke,
duked up,
dukedom,
dukes,
dukes classification,
dukes disease
Definition for dukes (2 of 2)
Duke
[ dook, dyook ]
/ duk, dyuk /
noun
Benjamin Newton,1855–1929,
and his brother, James Buchanan, 1856–1925, U.S. industrialists.
a male given name.
Example sentences from the Web for dukes
British Dictionary definitions for dukes (1 of 2)
dukes
/ (djuːks) /
pl n
slang
the fists (esp in the phrase put your dukes up)
Word Origin for dukes
C19: from
Duke of Yorks rhyming slang for
forks (fingers)
British Dictionary definitions for dukes (2 of 2)
duke
/ (djuːk) /
noun
a nobleman of high rank: in the British Isles standing above the other grades of the nobility
the prince or ruler of a small principality or duchy
Other words from duke
Related adjective: ducalWord Origin for duke
C12: from Old French
duc, from Latin
dux leader