[duke] n [ME, fr. OF duc, fr. L duc-, dux, fr. ducere to lead--more at tow] (12c) 1: a sovereign male ruler of a continental European duchy
2: a nobleman of the highest hereditary rank; esp: a member of the highest grade of the British peerage 3 [prob. fr. dukes of York, rhyming slang for fork (hand, fist)] slang: fist, hand--usu. used in pl. -- duke.dom n
[2]duke vi duked ; duk.ing (ca. 1947): fight -- duke it out : to engage in a fight and esp. a fistfight