duke

C2+ Topic:General Vocabulary

US /duk/ UK /djuːk/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a nobleman of the highest hereditary rank below a prince

The duke pledged his loyalty and his armies to the king.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a nobleman of the highest... nobleman peer lord magnate

Opposites

duchess

Word family

Forms ducal

Derived forms dukedomduchessducal

Related forms duchy duchessducaldoge

Simplified etymology

Duke is recorded in Old English but ultimately comes from Latin dux, “leader,” related to ducere, “to lead.” Its earliest sense was the ruler of a duchy, particularly a sovereign prince in continental Europe, though it was occasionally applied to an Anglo-Saxon alderman.

Etymology

From Old French 'duc', from Latin 'dux' ('leader, commander'), from 'ducere' ('to lead').

duc Old French dux Latin ducere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# duke

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /duk/
**IPA (UK):** /djuːk/

## Meanings
1. a nobleman of the highest hereditary rank below a prince

## Examples
- The duke pledged his loyalty and his armies to the king.

## Synonyms
- nobleman
- peer
- lord
- magnate

## Antonyms
- duchess

## Derived Forms
- dukedom
- duchess
- ducal

## Related Forms
- duchy
- duchess
- ducal
- doge

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: duc
- Root: dux
- Root: ducere - to lead

## Etymology
From Old French 'duc', from Latin 'dux' ('leader, commander'), from 'ducere' ('to lead').

## AI Etymology
Duke comes from Old French 'duc', from Latin 'dux' ('leader, commander'), from 'ducere' ('to lead'). The etymological trail includes Old French duc, Latin dux, and Latin ducere. As a noun, duke names a nobleman of the highest hereditary rank below a prince. The same family is visible in derived forms such as dukedom, duchess, and ducal and related forms such as duchy, duchess, ducal, and doge.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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