soken
See also: sōken
English
Etymology
From Middle English sookne, socne (“district held by a socage”) (> Medieval Latin sōca (“right of jurisdiction”), see soke), from Old English sōcn (“jurisdiction, prosecution, soke”, literally “act of seeking”), from Proto-Germanic *sōkniz (“seeking, inquiry”), from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- (“to follow, track”). Akin to Gothic 𐍃𐍉𐌺𐌽𐍃 (sokns, “controversy”), Old English sacu (“legal case, dispute”), sēcan (“to seek”), Swedish socken (“parish”), Danish sogn (“parish”). More at sake, seek, soke.
Noun
soken (plural sokens)
- The ancient right (usually conferred by royalty) to hold a local court of justice and levy specific fees and fines. A 'soke' or 'soken' was the area over which this right was established. More specifically, the 'resort' (right) of specific farmers to have their grain ground at a specific mill or, inversely, the right of a mill to that custom. Also, specifically, a right of prosecution and judgement. Older meanings include a place that is regularly frequented. The word 'soken' is used in Stow (1598) in a way that implies regular usage / clear meaning, e.g. with reference to Portsoken Ward, outside the walls of the City of London which originated as a 'liberty' (a practically synonymous term) for a guild of knights.
Related terms
- soke
References
- Webster's Dictionary
- Oxford English Dictionary
- Stow's Survey of London
Anagrams
- Kones, Nosek, Senko, Snoke, snoek
Middle English
Noun
soken
- Alternative form of souken
Tok Pisin
Etymology
From English stocking.
Noun
soken
- stocking