I. hock 1 /hɒk $ hɑːk/ BrE AmE noun
[ Sense 1: Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: German ; Origin: Hochheimer 'of Hochheim' , from the name of the place in Germany where it was originally made. ]
[ Sense 2: Date: 1800-1900 ; Language: Dutch ; Origin: hok 'prison' ]
[ Sense 3-4: Language: Old English ; Origin: hoh 'heel' ]
1 . [uncountable] British English a German white wine:
a glass of hock
2 . in hock informal
a) in debt
be in hock to somebody
The fashion chain is still in hock to the banks.
b) something that is in hock has been sold temporarily because its owner needs some money:
He’s a musician, but his guitar is in hock.
3 . [countable] a piece of meat from above the foot of a pig:
pork hocks
4 . [countable] the middle joint of an animal’s back leg
II. hock 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
informal to sell something temporarily because you need some money SYN pawn