English word origin

Etymology of ake

From Middle English aken, from Old English acan (“to ache”), from Proto-West Germanic *akan, from Proto-Germanic *akaną (“to ache”). More at ache.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

verb

Obsolete spelling of ache.

noun

Obsolete spelling of ache.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English aken, from Old English acan (“to ache”), from Proto-West Germanic *akan, from Proto-Germanic *akaną (“to ache”). More at ache.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionakenenm
Inherited-form mentionacanang · to ache
Inherited-form mention*akangmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*akanągem-pro · to ache

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "aken"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English aken"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "acan",
        "t": "to ache"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English acan (“to ache”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*akan"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *akan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*akaną",
        "id": "ache",
        "t": "to ache"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *akaną (“to ache”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "aken",
      "aken#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "acan",
      "acan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*akan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/akan"
    ],
    [
      "*akaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/akaną#Proto-Germanic:_ache"
    ],
    [
      "ache",
      "ache#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "Obsolete spelling of ache."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "obsolete"
      ],
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    },
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      "glosses": [
        "Obsolete spelling of ache."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "obsolete"
      ],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

adv

forever

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Māori ake.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "mi:ake",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Māori\", \"term\" : \"ake\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"mi\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"ake\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"ake\">\nBorrowed from Māori ake."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "mi:ake",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Māori ake."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ake",
      "ake#Māori"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "forever"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "New-Zealand",
        "not-comparable"
      ],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for ake →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-YWtl