luke

luke

See also: Luke, lûke, and lǚkè

English

Etymology

Back-formation from lukewarm. Compare lew.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /luːk/
• Rhymes: -uːk

Adjective

luke (not comparable)

1. (rare) lukewarm
   • 1836, Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers

     Let me have nine penn'orth o' brandy and water luke, and the inkstand, will you, miss?

   • 1881, Ælfric, trans. Walter W. Skeat, Aelfric’s Lives of Saints, page 249:

     Then one of them turned coward on account of the exceeding chill,
     cast away his faith, and desired to bathe himself
     in the luke water, and turned from his companions;
     but he died as soon as he touched the water,
     and the warmness was turned into death to him […]

   • 1946, Arthur Kober, That Man is Here Again: The Adventures of a Hollywood Agent, Random House:

     Next thing, I have a confrince with Barry and I tells him, 'Frankly, kid, it don't look any too hot over there at Regal. In fack, very luke.'

   • 1983, C. Darrel Sheraw, Lou Horton, and Bill Durbin, The Call Duck Breed Book, page 106:

     Secondly, fresh, preferably luke to warm water must be provided in waterers every day to avoid dehydration, weakening and ‘going light’. […] Warm to luke water is given in waterers as an alternative because all fowl drink more water if it is not excessively cold, […]

   • 2016, Ankur and Vandana Mehrotra, You Can Do It: Find Answers to All Your Questions on How to Become a Successful Entrepreneur Now:

     Same time, if you put the other hand in cold water and then in luke water, you will feel luke warm water is hot.

Anagrams

• leku, leuk-

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Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Related to the verb lukke

Noun

luke f or m (definite singular luka or luken, indefinite plural luker, definite plural lukene)

1. a small door (including on an Advent calendar)
2. a hatch
3. a window (e.g. ticket window)
4. a gap, space, slot, opening

Derived terms

• bakluke
• takluke

References

• “luke” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Related to the verb lukke

Noun

luke f (definite singular luka, indefinite plural luker, definite plural lukene)

1. a small door (including on an Advent calendar)
2. a hatch
3. a window (e.g. ticket window)
4. a gap, space, slot, opening

Derived terms

• bakluke
• takluke

References

• “luke” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

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Scots

Noun

luke (plural lukes)

1. A look.
2. An examination, inspection.

Verb

luke (third-person singular present lukes, present participle lukin, past lukit, past participle lukit)

1. To look.
2. To examine, inspect.