Etymograph

English

ock

Ock comes from Arabic أَخ ‘brother’, and goes back to Proto-Semitic *ʔaḫw-.

  1. Proto-Semiticc. 4000–3000 BCE*ʔaḫw-1‘brother’reconstructed
  2. Arabicc. 500–presentأَخ2ʔaḵ‘brother’
  3. Englishtodayock2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Arabic أخ
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English ock

Lineage

  1. Proto-Semiticc. 4000–3000 BCE*ʔaḫw-Wiktionary, Arabic أخ‘brother’reconstructed
  2. Arabicc. 500–presentأَخWiktionary, English ockʔaḵ‘brother’
  3. EnglishtodayockWiktionary, English ock

Every English word from Proto-Semitic *ʔaḫw-

Today it means

noun A man of Middle Eastern descent that runs a deli or bodega, typically in New York.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “ock”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Arabic أخ. 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 / Proto-Semitic *ʔaḫw- / ock

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