Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

eke

/ik/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.63 in modern English

Syllables
eke
IPA
/ik/
7
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
2
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An addition.

noun

A small stand on which a beehive is placed.

Archaic

noun

A spacer put between or over or under hive parts to make more space.

verb

Chiefly in the form eke out: to add to, to augment; to increase; to lengthen.

Transitive verb

adv

Also; in addition to.

Archaic

Example Sentences

Etymology

The noun is derived from Middle English eke (“addition, increase, enlargement”), from Old English ēaca, from Proto-Germanic *aukô, from *aukaną (“to increase, add, enlarge”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewg- (“to enlarge, increase”). The English noun is cognate with Old Frisian āka (“addition, increase; bonus”), Old Norse auki (“growth, increase, proliferation”). The verb is derived partly: * from the noun; and * from Middle English eken (“to increase, add, enlarge”) [and other forms], from three distinct verbs (1) Old English īeċan (“to increase, add, enlarge”) (transitive), (2) ēacan (“to be enlarged or increased”), and (3) ēacian, all from Proto-Germanic *aukaną (“to grow, increase”); see further above. The English verb is cognate with Latin augeō (“to augment, increase; to enlarge, expand, spread; to lengthen; to exaggerate; to enrich; to honour; (figuratively) to exalt, praise”), Old English ēac (“also”), Old Norse auka (“to augment, increase; to add; to exceed, surpass”), Icelandic auka (“to augment, increase to add; to exceed, surpass”), (Danish øge (“to enhance; to increase”), Norwegian Bokmål øke (“to increase”), Norwegian Nynorsk auka (“to increase”), Swedish öka (“to increase”)).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *h₂ewg-, eke, ēaca, *aukô, eken, īeċan

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ik/
  • British English: /iːk/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Homonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce eke?
The recorded pronunciation is /ik/.
What does eke mean?
An addition.
Where does eke come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce eke

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “eke”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ik/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “eke”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “eke” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.