Etymograph

English

zouk

Zouk comes from French secouer ‘to shake up’, and perhaps goes back to Proto-Indo-European *(s)kuh₁t-yé-ti.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kuh₁t-yé-ti1uncertain
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquatiō2‘shake’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsuccutiō3‘to shake from below’uncertain
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400secorre3uncertain
  5. Frenchc. 1600–presentsecouer4‘to shake up’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2007zouk4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin quatio, which cites LIV
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin succutio
  3. 3 Wiktionary, French secouer
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English zouk
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2007, The New York Times, Dance Listings: “From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Brooklyn’s own ReggaeLution band…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)kuh₁t-yé-tiWiktionary, Latin quatio, which cites LIVuncertain
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquatiōWiktionary, Latin succutio‘shake’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsuccutiōWiktionary, French secouer‘to shake from below’uncertain
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400secorreWiktionary, French secoueruncertain
  5. Frenchc. 1600–presentsecouerWiktionary, English zouk‘to shake up’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2007zoukWiktionary, English zouk. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2007, The New York Times, Dance Listings: “From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Brooklyn’s own ReggaeLution band…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)kuh₁t-yé-ti

pasta, paste, pastiche, patisserie, 27 more

through Latin quatiō ‘shake’

cashier, concussion, quash, fracas, repercussion, casco, casse, 17 more

Today it means

noun A style of dance music originating in the French Antilles, combining Latin American, African and Western disco rhythms; a dance to this music

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “zouk”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin quatio, Latin succutio, French secouer. 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-Indo-European *(s)kuh₁t-yé-ti / zouk

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