English word origin

Etymology of hike

From English dialectal hyke (“to walk vigorously”), probably a Northern form of hitch, from Middle English hytchen, hichen, icchen (“to move, jerk, stir”). Cognate with Scots hyke (“to move with a jerk”), dialectal Germa

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 ↗

noun

A long walk, usually for pleasure or exercise. · An abrupt increase. · The snap of the ball to start a play. · A sharp upward tug to raise something.

intj

Let's go; get moving. A command to a dog sled team, given by a musher.

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 mentionhytchenenm
Cognate mentionhykesco
Cognate mentionhickende
Cognate mentionhinkeda

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": "hytchen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English hytchen"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "hyke",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to move with a jerk"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots hyke (“to move with a jerk”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "hicken",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to hobble, walk with a limp"
      },
      "expansion": "German hicken (“to hobble, walk with a limp”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "hinke",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to hop"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish hinke (“to hop”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "hyke",
      "hyke#English"
    ],
    [
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      "hitch#English"
    ],
    [
      "hytchen",
      "hytchen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hichen",
      "hichen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "icchen",
      "icchen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hyke",
      "hyke#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "hicken",
      "hicken#German"
    ],
    [
      "hinke",
      "hinke#Danish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A long walk, usually for pleasure or exercise.",
        "An abrupt increase.",
        "The snap of the ball to start a play.",
        "A sharp upward tug to raise something."
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Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗

verb

To take a long walk (on something) for pleasure or exercise. · To unfairly or suddenly raise a price. · To snap the ball to start a play. · To lean out to the windward side of a sailboat in order to counterbalance the effects of the wind on the sails.

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 mentionhytchenenm
Cognate mentionhykesco
Cognate mentionhickende
Cognate mentionhinkeda

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.

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        "3": "hytchen"
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    },
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        "3": "",
        "4": "to move with a jerk"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots hyke (“to move with a jerk”)"
    },
    {
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        "1": "de",
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        "3": "",
        "4": "to hobble, walk with a limp"
      },
      "expansion": "German hicken (“to hobble, walk with a limp”)"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
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        "3": "",
        "4": "to hop"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish hinke (“to hop”)"
    }
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      "hitch#English"
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      "hytchen#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "hichen",
      "hichen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "icchen",
      "icchen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hyke",
      "hyke#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "hicken",
      "hicken#German"
    ],
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      "hinke",
      "hinke#Danish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
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      "lang_code": "nl",
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  ],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "verb",
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        "To take a long walk (on something) for pleasure or exercise.",
        "To unfairly or suddenly raise a price.",
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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 hike →

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-aGlrZQ