I. ˈd(y)ük noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English duc, duke, from Old French duc, from Latin duc-, dux leader, commander, from ducere to lead — more at tow
1. obsolete : leader , chief
2. : a sovereign prince or ruler of a duchy on the continent of Europe
3.
a. : a nobleman of the highest hereditary rank in certain continental European countries
b. : a member of the first and highest grade of the peerage in Great Britain
4. slang
a. : fist ; also : hand — usually used in plural
b. : the raised fist as a symbol of victory (as in a prizefight)
the winner was given the duke at the end of the fight
c. : a player's hand of cards
5. also duke cherry : any of several cultivated cherries that are intermediate in characteristics between sweet cherries and sour cherries and are usually considered to have originated by hybridization of these — compare bigarreau cherry , heart cherry
II. ˈdük verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: duke (fist), probably from Duke of York , rhyming slang for fork hand, fist
: fight
•
- duke it out