spake

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /speɪk/
• Rhymes: -eɪk

Etymology 1

From Middle English spake, spak, from Old Norse spakr (“wise, gentle, quiet”), from Proto-Germanic *spakaz (“wise, clever”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peǵ- (“to understand; intelligent, attentive”). Cognate with Swedish spak (“manageable”), Danish spag (“quiet, gentle, timid, tame”).

Adjective

spake (comparative more spake, superlative most spake)

1. (obsolete) Quiet; tame.
2. (obsolete) Ready; prompt.

Derived terms

• spakely

Etymology 2

From Middle English spak, from Old English spæc, first and third person singular past tense of specan (“to speak”). More at speak.

Verb

spake (form)

1. (archaic) Simple past of speak.
   • 1611, King James Version of the Bible (Authorized Version)^[1], Genesis 8:15-16

     And God spake unto Noah, saying,
     Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee.

References

• spake in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• spake in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams

• peaks
• speak