Source etymology 1
Original entry ↗A very long spear used two-handed by infantry soldiers for thrusting (not throwing), both for attacks on enemy foot soldiers and as a countermeasure against cavalry assaults. · A sharp, pointed staff or implement. · A large haycock (“conical stack of hay left in a field to dry before adding to a haystack”). · Any carnivorous freshwater fish of the genus Esox, especially the northern pike, Esox lucius.
To prod, attack, or injure someone with a pike. · To assume a pike position. · To bet or gamble with only small amounts of money. · Often followed by on or out: to quit or back out of a promise.
From Middle English pyke, pyk, pik, pike (“pike; sharp point, iron tip of a staff or spear, pointed toe of an item of footwear; sharp tool; mountain, peak”), from Old English pīc (“pointed object, pick axe”), and Middle French pique (“long thrusting weapon”), from Old French pic (“sharp point, spike”); both ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *pīk, from Proto-Germanic *pīkaz, *pīkō (“sharp point, pike, peak”), related to pick with a narrower meaning. The word is cognate with Middle Dutch pecke, peke, picke (modern Dutch piek), German Pike, Norwegian pik, Danish pig, and possibly Old Irish pīk. It is a doublet of pique. The diving or gymnastics position is probably from tapered appearance of the body when the position is executed. The carnivorous freshwater fish is probably derived from the “sharp point, spike” senses, due to the fish’s pointed jaws. The verb sense “to quit or back out of a promise” may be from the sense of taking up pilgrim's staff or pike and leaving on a pilgrimage; and compare Middle English pī̆ken (“to go, remove oneself”) and Old Danish pikke af (“to go away”).
Relationships mentioned by the source
These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.
- Inherited-form mentionpykeenm
- Inherited-form mentionpīcang
- Derivation mentionpiquefrm
- Derivation mentionpicfro
- Inherited-form mention*pīkgmw-pro
- Inherited-form mention*pīkazgem-pro
- Cognate mentionpeckedum
- Cognate mentionpieknl
- Cognate mentionPikede
- Cognate mentionpikno
- Cognate mentionpigda
- Cognate mentionpīksga
- Doublet mentionpiqueen
- Cognate mentionpikenenm
- Cognate mentionpikke afgmq-oda
This page abbreviates 7 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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"A very long spear used two-handed by infantry soldiers for thrusting (not throwing), both for attacks on enemy foot soldiers and as a countermeasure against cavalry assaults.",
"A sharp, pointed staff or implement.",
"A large haycock (“conical stack of hay left in a field to dry before adding to a haystack”).",
"Any carnivorous freshwater fish of the genus Esox, especially the northern pike, Esox lucius."
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"To prod, attack, or injure someone with a pike.",
"To assume a pike position.",
"To bet or gamble with only small amounts of money.",
"Often followed by on or out: to quit or back out of a promise."
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