Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “pyke” come from?

Pike comes from Middle English pike, from Old English pīc, from Proto-Germanic pīkaz, a word of uncertain origin referring to a sharp-pointed weapon or fish.

Ancestry of “pyke”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishPikeA member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity
2Frenchpiquépast participle of piquer; dive; two fabrics...
3Frenchpiquerto prick; to sting; to nick, pinch, steal
4Middle Frenchpicquerto sting
5Old Frenchpiquerto pierce with the tip of a sword
6Vulgar Latinpiccareto puncture; to sting, strike; to pierce
7Frankishpikkōnto peck, strike
8Proto-Germanicpikōną—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanbew-"low-pitch humming noise"
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bew- →