*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of snook

From Dutch snoek (“pike, Esox”). Doublet of snoek; perhaps more distantly related to snake.

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 ↗
noun

A freshwater and marine fish of the family Centropomidae in the order Perciformes. · Centropomus undecimalis (common snook). · Any of various other ray-finned fishes in several families.

verb

To fish for snook.

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

From Dutch snoek (“pike, Esox”). Doublet of snoek; perhaps more distantly related to snake.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Borrowed-form mentionsnoeknl
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "args": {
        "1": "common snook",
        "2": "common snook",
        "pl": "s"
      },
      "expansion": "common snooks"
    },
    {
      "name": "taxlink",
      "args": {
        "1": "Centropomus undecimalis",
        "2": "species"
      },
      "expansion": "Centropomus undecimalis"
    },
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      "args": {
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        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "nl:snoek",
        "id": "fish"
      },
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    },
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        "2": "nl",
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        "4": "",
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      },
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    },
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    },
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      "args": {
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        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "nl:snoek",
        "id": "fish"
      },
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    }
  ],
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      "snoek",
      "snoek#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Esox",
      "Esox"
    ],
    [
      "snoek",
      "snoek#English"
    ],
    [
      "snake",
      "snake#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
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      "glosses": [
        "A freshwater and marine fish of the family Centropomidae in the order Perciformes.",
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To sniff out. · To lurk; to lie in ambush.

noun

A disrespectful gesture, performed by placing the tip of a thumb on one's nose with the fingers spread, and typically while wiggling the fingers back and forth.

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

From the 19th century. Uncertain origin, but probably a variant of snoke. Compare also sneck (“nose”). These words are partly sound-symbolic, given the similarity to snoot, snout, sniff, sneeze etc.

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": ":from",
        "3": "snoke",
        "id": "sniff"
      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "unc",
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Uncertain"
    },
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      "name": "sound-symbolic",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "sound-symbolic"
    },
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      "args": {
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        "2": ":from",
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        "id": "sniff"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "snoke",
      "snoke#English"
    ],
    [
      "sneck",
      "sneck#English"
    ],
    [
      "snoot",
      "snoot#English"
    ],
    [
      "snout",
      "snout#English"
    ],
    [
      "sniff",
      "sniff#English"
    ],
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      "sneeze",
      "sneeze#English"
    ]
  ],
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        "To lurk; to lie in ambush."
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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 snook →

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-c25vb2s