Etymograph

English

juke

Juke comes from Gullah juke.

  1. Gullahmodernjuke1
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1941juke1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English juke
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1941, Arthur K. Moore, Jouk: “‘Let's jouk’ is an invitation to dance, but ‘Let's…”.

Lineage

  1. GullahmodernjukeWiktionary, English juke
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1941jukeWiktionary, English juke. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1941, Arthur K. Moore, Jouk: “‘Let's jouk’ is an invitation to dance, but ‘Let's…”

Every English word from Gullah juke

Another origin of juke

  1. Jamaican Creolemodernjook‘pierce, prick, poke, prod, stick (poke)’
  2. Englishtodayjuke

Another origin of juke

  1. Scotsc. 1450–presentdeuk‘duck’uncertain
  2. Scotsc. 1450–presentjouk‘to duck’uncertain
  3. Englishtodayjuke

Perhaps from Scots jouk, jowk, juke (‘to elude, cheat; duck, skulk; bob, dodge’), palatalized variants of Scots deuk, douk, dowk (‘to duck’).

Today it means

noun A roadside cafe or bar, especially one with dancing and sometimes prostitution.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “juke”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Gullah juke / juke

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