*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of gleek

From Middle French glic, from Old French glic (“a game of cards”), of Germanic origin from or related to Middle High German glücke, gelücke (“luck”) and Middle Dutch gelīc (“like, alike”). More at luck, like.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 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 once-popular game of cards played by three people. · Three of the same cards held in one hand; three of a kind.

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

From Middle French glic, from Old French glic (“a game of cards”), of Germanic origin from or related to Middle High German glücke, gelücke (“luck”) and Middle Dutch gelīc (“like, alike”). More at luck, like.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Borrowed-form mentionglicfrm
  • Derivation mentionglicfro · a game of cards
  • Derivation mentionglückegmh
  • Derivation mentiongelīcdum · like, alike
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frm",
        "3": "glic"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle French glic"
    },
    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "glic",
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    },
    {
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      },
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    },
    {
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmh",
        "3": "glücke"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle High German glücke"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dum",
        "3": "gelīc",
        "t": "like, alike"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Dutch gelīc (“like, alike”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "+ (card game)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "glic",
      "glic#Middle_French"
    ],
    [
      "glic",
      "glic#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "glücke",
      "glücke#Middle_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "gelücke",
      "gelücke#Middle_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "gelīc",
      "gelic#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "luck",
      "luck#English"
    ],
    [
      "like",
      "like#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
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        "A once-popular game of cards played by three people.",
        "Three of the same cards held in one hand; three of a kind."
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To ridicule, or mock; to make sport of. · To jest. · To pass time frivolously. · To discharge a long, thin stream of liquid (including saliva) through the teeth or from under the tongue, sometimes by pressing the tongue against the salivary glands.

noun

A jest or scoff; trick or deception. · An enticing glance or look. · A stream of saliva from a person's salivary glands.

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

Related to Etymology 1. Of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse *gleikr, leikr (“sport, play, game”), from Proto-Germanic *galaikaz (“jump, play”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyg-. Cognate with Old English ġelācan (“to play a trick on, delude”), Scots glaik (“a glance of the eye, deception, trick”, n.), Scots glaik (“to trick, trifle with”, v.). More at lake.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    },
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        "4": "",
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    },
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      },
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    },
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        "2": "ġelācan",
        "3": "",
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      },
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    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
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        "pos": "n."
      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
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        "1": "sco",
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        "3": "",
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        "pos": "v."
      },
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    }
  ],
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    ],
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    ],
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/leyg-"
    ],
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      "gelacan#Old_English"
    ],
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      "glaik",
      "glaik#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "glaik",
      "glaik#Scots"
    ],
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      "lake",
      "lake#Etymology_2"
    ]
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A geek who is involved in a glee club, choir, or singing.

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

Blend of glee + geek.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Blend componentgleeen
  • Blend componentgeeken
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "3": "geek"
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    }
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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 gleek →

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
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Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Z2xlZWs