duke

Plural: dukes

Noun

a British peer of the highest rank
a nobleman (in various countries) of high rank
The male ruler of a duchy (female equivalent: duchess).
The sovereign of a small state.
A high title of nobility; the male holder of a dukedom.
A grand duke.
Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the Asian genera Bassarona and Dophla.
A fist.

Verb

Verb Forms: duked, duking, dukes

To fight, especially with fists; to spar or contend.
To hit or beat with the fists.
To give cash to; to give a tip to.
To perform the duties of, or rule over as, a duke.

Examples

I duked him twenty dollars.
Put up your dukes!
The players started to duke it out on the board, vying for the triple word score.

Origin / Etymology

From Old French duc, through Middle English duk, duke, from Latin dux, ducis. Displaced native Old English heretoga. Was present as duc in late Old English, from the same Latin source. Doublet of doge, duc, duce, and dux.
The “fist” sense is thought to be Cockney rhyming slang where “Duke(s) of York” = fork. Fork is itself Cockney slang for hand, and thus fist.

Synonyms

tip

Scrabble Score: 9

duke: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
duke: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
duke: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 10

duke: valid Words With Friends Word