English word origin

Etymology of beck

From Middle English bek, bekk, becc, from Old English bæc, bec, bæċe, beċe (“beck, brook”), from Proto-Germanic *bakiz (“stream”). Cognate with Old Norse bekkr (“a stream or brook”), Low German bek, beck, German Bach, Du

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 4 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 ↗

noun

A stream or small river.

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionbekenm
Cognate mentionbæcang
Derivation mention*bakizgem-pro · stream
Derivation mentionbekkrnon · a stream or brook
Cognate mentionbeknds
Cognate mentionBachde
Cognate mentionbeeknl
Cognate mentionbäcksv
Doublet mentionbatchen

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "bek"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English bek"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "bæc"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English bæc"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*bakiz",
        "t": "stream"
      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "der",
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    },
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      "name": "cog",
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      },
      "expansion": "Low German bek"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Bach"
      },
      "expansion": "German Bach"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "beek"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch beek"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "bäck"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish bäck"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "batch"
      },
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    }
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    [
      "bek",
      "bek#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "bekk",
      "bekk#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "becc",
      "becc#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "bæc",
      "bæc#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "bec",
      "bec#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "bæċe",
      "bæce#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "beċe",
      "bece#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*bakiz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/bakiz"
    ],
    [
      "bekkr",
      "bekkr#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "brook",
      "brook"
    ],
    [
      "bek",
      "bek#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "beck",
      "beck#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "Bach",
      "Bach#German"
    ],
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      "beek",
      "beek#Dutch"
    ],
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      "bäck",
      "bäck#Swedish"
    ],
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      "batch",
      "batch#English"
    ],
    [
      "beach",
      "beach#English"
    ]
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        "A stream or small river."
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A significant nod, or motion of the head or hand, especially as a call or command.

verb

To nod or motion with the head.

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

From Middle English bekken, a shortened form of Middle English bekenen, from Old English bēcnan, bēacnian (“to signify; beckon”), from Proto-West Germanic *baukn, from Proto-Germanic *baukną (“beacon”). More at beacon.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionbekkenenm
Inherited-form mentionbekenenenm
Inherited-form mentionbēcnanang
Inherited-form mention*baukngmw-pro
Derivation mention*bauknągem-pro · beacon

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

A vat.

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

See back.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗

noun

Obsolete form of beak.

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

From Middle English bec, bek, from Old French bec (“beak”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionbecenm
Derivation mentionbecfro

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    },
    {
      "name": "der",
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        "2": "fro",
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Where this record stops

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

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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-YmVjaw