Main Entry: ¹duke

Pronunciation: \ˈdük also ˈdyük\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French duc, from Latin duc-, dux, from ducere to lead — more at tow

Date: 12th century

1 : a sovereign male ruler of a continental European duchy
2 : a nobleman of the highest hereditary rank; especially : a member of the highest grade of the British peerage
3 [probably from dukes of York, rhyming slang for fork (hand, fist)] slang : fist, hand —usually used in plural

— duke·dom \-dəm\ noun