Etymograph

English

steek

Steek comes from Middle English steke ‘to enclose’.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500steke1‘to enclose’
  2. Scotsc. 1450–presentsteek1
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1934steek1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English steek
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1934, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Grey Granite (A Scots Quair): “Ake Ogilvie told the tale the next day to…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500stekeWiktionary, English steek‘to enclose’
  2. Scotsc. 1450–presentsteekWiktionary, English steek
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1934steekWiktionary, English steek. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1934, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Grey Granite (A Scots Quair): “Ake Ogilvie told the tale the next day to…”

Every English word from Middle English steke

Today it means

verb To stitch (sew with a needle).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “steek”. 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 / Middle English steke / steek

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