poke
/poʊk/
verb
Origin
Middle English
poken — to thrust
Overview
Meaning Now
- To thrust or push something pointed into or at someone or something.
- To prod or jab for the purpose of attracting attention or causing a reaction.
- To poke one's head or other body parts into a space to look or search.
Literal older meaning
To thrust or jab
Language path
Middle English → English
Earliest form
poken
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The word is likely of West Germanic origin, related to Middle Dutch 'poken' (to stab or thrust). It gained prominence in English during the Middle English period and later developed various idiomatic senses, including the sense of 'poking around' or 'poking fun'.
Evolution
- 14. yüzyıl (Middle English)
poken
“to thrust, push”
Possibly of Low German or Middle Dutch origin.
- 16. yüzyıl (Early Modern English)
poke
“to jab or stir”
Appearance of the modern spelling.
- 19. yüzyıl (Modern English)
poke
“to nudge or prod”
Extended to mean 'to move slowly' in regional dialects.
Connections
Word parts
poke
root
thrusting action
Related across languages
Middle Dutch
poken
to stab or thrust
Low German
poken
to poke
Explore next
Related to poke
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.