I. ˈēk adverb
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English ēac; akin to Old High German ouh also, Old Norse & Gothic auk, Latin aut or, Greek au again, Sanskrit u and, but
archaic : in addition : also , moreover
the most entertaining, eke the most learned — H.J.Laski
II. noun
or eik ˈēk, ˈāk, ˈəik
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English eke, from Old English ēaca; akin to Old English ēacian to increase
now chiefly Scotland : an addition or extension: as
a. : a piece added to increase the size or length of a garment
b. : an additional drink
an eke before I go
III. ˈēk, Scot “ or ˈāk or ˈəik verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English eken, echen, from Old English ēacian (v.i.) to increase and ēacan (v.i.) to increase and īecan, ēcan (v.t.) to increase, augment, carry out; akin to Old High German ouhhōn to add, Old Norse auka to increase, Gothic aukan, Latin augēre, Greek auxein to increase, Sanskrit oja strength
transitive verb
1. or eik chiefly Scotland
a. : add , increase
eked a few words fit for the occasion
the memory eked her sadness
b. : to repair by adding material : patch , lengthen
let out and eke the petticoat
2.
a. : to supplement or fill (what is felt to be deficient) especially by a laborious, inferior, or scanty addition — used with out
to eke out his meager pay … he turned to writing — English Digest
eke out the information given in the native chronicles and so to reconstruct … the society of the first centuries — G.B.Sansom
b. : to make (a supply) last by economy
eke out the stores by strict rationing
or partial use of a substitute
this wool could be obtained only in small and uncertain quantities and was often eked out as a facing to a core of cedar bark — C.D.Forde
: stretch — used with out
3.
a. : to obtain, maintain, or achieve with effort usually in small quantity : squeeze
he asked about the living conditions … and I tried to eke out the little knowledge I had collected — Christopher Isherwood
specifically : to make (a living) meagerly and laboriously — used with out
from … unproductive cutover land many farmers have eked out a precarious living — American Guide Series: Minnesota
b. : to live from day to day especially with boredom or with difficulty — used with out
on this, with £1 a month from his father, the boy eked out his year — Sydney (Australia) Bulletin
intransitive verb
chiefly Scotland : add
it eked to her woe
: augment