• Drake

    Pronunciation

    • Rhymes: -eɪk

    Origin 1

    From Middle English drake ("male duck, drake"), from Old English *draca, abbreviated form for Old English *andraca ("male duck, drake", literally duck-king), from Proto-Germanic *anudrekô ("duck leader"), from Proto-Germanic *anudz ("duck, ennet"; see ennet) + Proto-Germanic *rekô ("ruler, king"), from Proto-Indo-European *reǵ- ("chief, king"). Cognate with Middle Dutch andrake ("drake"), Middle Low German āntreke, āntdrāke,

    Low German drake ("drake")}, Old High German anutrehho, antrache

    German Enterich ("drake")}, Swabian Antrech ("drake"), German dialectal Drache ("drake"). More at ennet.

    Full definition of drake

    Noun

    drake

    (plural drakes)
    1. A male duck.

    Origin 2

    From Middle English drake ("dragon; Satan"), Old English draca ("dragon, sea monster, huge serpent"), from Proto-Germanic *drakô ("dragon"), from Latin dracō ("dragon"), from Ancient Greek δράκων (drakon, "serpent, giant seafish"), from δρακεῖν, aorist active infinitive of δέρκομαι (derkomai, "I see clearly"), from Proto-Indo-European *derk-. Compare Middle Dutch drake and German Drache.

    Noun

    drake

    (plural drakes)
    1. A mayfly used as fishing bait.
    2. A dragon.
      • J. A. HarrisonBeowulf resolves to kill the drake.
    3. (historical) A small piece of artillery.
      • ClarendonTwo or three shots, made at them by a couple of drakes, made them stagger.

    Synonyms

    Derived terms

    terms derived from drake ("a type of dragon")
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