wake

³wake

noun

Definition of WAKE

1

: the track left by a moving body (as a ship) in a fluid (as water); broadly : a track or path left

2

: aftermath 3

— in the wake of

1

: close behind and in the same path of travel <missionaries arrived in the wake of conquistadors and soldiers — Sabine MacCormack>

2

: as a result of : as a consequence of <power vacuums left in the wake of the second world war — A. M. Schlesinger b1917>

Origin of WAKE

akin to Middle Low German wake wake, Norwegian dialect vok, Old Norse vǫk hole in ice

First Known Use: 1627