*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of desk

From Middle English deske, desque, from Medieval Latin desca, modified from Old Italian desco, from Latin discus. Doublet of dais, disc, discus, dish, disk, and diskos. See also German Tisch, "table".

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.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To shut up, as in a desk; to treasure. · To equip with a desk or desks. · To reject (an article submitted to a newspaper or academic journal etc.) on initial receipt, without reviewing it further.

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

From Middle English deske, desque, from Medieval Latin desca, modified from Old Italian desco, from Latin discus. Doublet of dais, disc, discus, dish, disk, and diskos. See also German Tisch, "table".

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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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "deske"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English deske"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-med",
        "3": "desca"
      },
      "expansion": "Medieval Latin desca"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "roa-oit",
        "3": "desco"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Italian desco"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "discus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin discus"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
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        "2": "dais",
        "3": "disc",
        "4": "discus",
        "5": "dish",
        "6": "disk",
        "7": "diskos"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of dais, disc, discus, dish, disk, and diskos"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "de",
        "3": "Tisch"
      },
      "expansion": "German Tisch"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "deske",
      "deske#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "desque",
      "desque#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "desca",
      "desca#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "desco",
      "desco#Italian"
    ],
    [
      "discus",
      "discus#Latin"
    ],
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      "dais",
      "dais#English"
    ],
    [
      "disc",
      "disc#English"
    ],
    [
      "discus",
      "discus#English"
    ],
    [
      "dish",
      "dish#English"
    ],
    [
      "disk",
      "disk#English"
    ],
    [
      "diskos",
      "diskos#English"
    ],
    [
      "Tisch",
      "Tisch#German"
    ]
  ],
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  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
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        "To shut up, as in a desk; to treasure.",
        "To equip with a desk or desks.",
        "To reject (an article submitted to a newspaper or academic journal etc.) on initial receipt, without reviewing it further."
      ],
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        "transitive"
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}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

A table, frame, or case, in past centuries usually with a sloping top but now usually with a flat top, for the use of writers and readers. It often has a drawer or repository underneath. · A reading table or lectern to support the book from which the liturgical service is read, differing from the pulpit from which the sermon is preached; also (especially in the United States), a pulpit. Hence, used symbolically for the clerical profession. · A department tasked with a particular topic or focus in certain types of businesses, such as newspapers and financial trading firms. · Ellipsis of mixing desk.

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

From Middle English deske, desque, from Medieval Latin desca, modified from Old Italian desco, from Latin discus. Doublet of dais, disc, discus, dish, disk, and diskos. See also German Tisch, "table".

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "deske"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English deske"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-med",
        "3": "desca"
      },
      "expansion": "Medieval Latin desca"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "roa-oit",
        "3": "desco"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Italian desco"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "discus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin discus"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dais",
        "3": "disc",
        "4": "discus",
        "5": "dish",
        "6": "disk",
        "7": "diskos"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of dais, disc, discus, dish, disk, and diskos"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "de",
        "3": "Tisch"
      },
      "expansion": "German Tisch"
    }
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      "desca",
      "desca#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "desco",
      "desco#Italian"
    ],
    [
      "discus",
      "discus#Latin"
    ],
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      "dais",
      "dais#English"
    ],
    [
      "disc",
      "disc#English"
    ],
    [
      "discus",
      "discus#English"
    ],
    [
      "dish",
      "dish#English"
    ],
    [
      "disk",
      "disk#English"
    ],
    [
      "diskos",
      "diskos#English"
    ],
    [
      "Tisch",
      "Tisch#German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Tok Pisin",
      "lang_code": "tpi",
      "word": "des"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Irish",
      "lang_code": "ga",
      "word": "deasc",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "lang_code": "cy",
      "word": "desg",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
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        "A reading table or lectern to support the book from which the liturgical service is read, differing from the pulpit from which the sermon is preached; also (especially in the United States), a pulpit. Hence, used symbolically for the clerical profession.",
        "A department tasked with a particular topic or focus in certain types of businesses, such as newspapers and financial trading firms.",
        "Ellipsis of mixing desk."
      ],
      "tags": [
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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 desk →

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-ZGVzaw