keek

English

Etymology

From Middle English kyken, kiken, keken (“to look, peep”), probably from Middle Dutch kiken, kieken or Middle Low German kîken (“to look, peep”), from Old Saxon *kīkan (“to look”), from Proto-West Germanic *kīkan, from Proto-Germanic *kīkaną (“to look”).

Cognate with Dutch kijken (“to look”), German Low German kieken (“to look”), Estonian kiikama (“to look, to peek”), German kucken, gucken (“to look”), Danish kigge, kikke (“to look, peep”), Swedish kika (“to peep, peek, keek, pry”), Icelandic kíkja (“to look, check”). Perhaps related to kick.

The words peek, keek and peep were used more or less synonymously in the 14th and 15th centuries.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kiːk/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːk

Verb

keek (third-person singular simple present keeks, present participle keeking, simple past and past participle keeked)

1. (Scotland, intransitive) To peek; peep.
   • 2019 May 10, Moreen Simpson, “New arrivals proved big challenge in early days”, in Evening Express:

     She was laid in my arms. Not able to sit up, I just keeked at her beautiful facie.

Noun

keek (plural keeks)

1. (Scotland) A look, especially a quick one; a peek.
   • 1886 May 1 – July 31, Robert Louis Stevenson, chapter XVIIII, in Kidnapped, being Memoirs of the Adventures of David Balfour in the Year 1751: , London, Paris: Cassell & Company, published 1886, →OCLC:

     "And now let's take another keek at the red-coats," says Alan, and he led me to the north-eastern fringe of the wood.

See also

• look
• peek
• peep

References

• “keek”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “keek”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Basque

Noun

keek

1. ergative plural of ke

Cornish

Adjective

keek

1. hedged

References

• http://www.cornishdictionary.org.uk/

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eːk
• IPA^(key): /keːk/

Verb

keek

1. singular past indicative of kijken

Anagrams

• keke

Scots

Etymology 1

From Middle Scots keik (“to peep”), from Middle English kiken, from Middle Low German kiken, from Old Saxon kīkan, ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *kīkan. Cognate with English keek.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Verb

keek (third-person singular simple present keeks, present participle keekin, simple past keeked, past participle keeked)

1. To have a quick look or peek.
2. To tilt or lean back.

Related terms

• keeker: a black eye

Noun

keek (plural keeks)

1. A quick look or peek.

Etymology 2

Uncertain. Possibly from the verb, due to the difficulty to see sideways from the cap.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

keek (plural keeks)

1. A cap made of linen worn around the head and neck.

References