beck

See also: Beck and béck

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɛk

Etymology 1

From Middle English bek, bekk, becc, from Old Norse bekkr (“a stream or brook”), from Proto-Germanic *bakiz (“stream”). Cognate with Low German bek, beck, German Bach, Dutch beek, Old English bæc, bec, bæċe, beċe (“beck, brook”). More at beach.

Noun

beck (plural becks)

1. (Norfolk, Northern England) A stream or small river.
   • (Can we date this quote by Drayton and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)

     The brooks, the becks, the rills.

Synonyms

• brook
• burn
• creek
• stream

Etymology 2

From Middle English bekken, a shortened form of Middle English bekenen, from Old English bēcnan, bēacnian (“to signify; beckon”), from Proto-Germanic *baukną (“beacon”). More at beacon.

Noun

beck (plural becks)

1. A significant nod, or motion of the head or hand, especially as a call or command.
   • (Can we date this quote?), John Milton, Paradise Regained

     Then forthwith to him takes a chosen band, / Of spirits likest to himself in guile / To be at hand, and at his beck appear.

Derived terms

• beck and call

Translations

A significant nod, or motion of the head or hand, especially as a call or command

• German: Wink (de) m

• Interlingue: signe
• Russian: мановение (ru) n (manovenije)

Verb

beck (third-person singular simple present becks, present participle becking, simple past and past participle becked)

1. (archaic) To nod or motion with the head.
   • c. 1596, William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene iii]:

     When gold and silver becks me to come on.

   • 1896, Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr, Winter Evening Tales‎^[1]:

     I'll buy so many acres of old Scotland and call them by the Lockerby's name; and I'll have nobles and great men come bowing and becking to David Lockerby as they do to Alexander Gordon.

   • 1881, Various, The Best of the World's Classics, Vol. V (of X) - Great Britain and Ireland III‎^[2]:

     The becking waiter, that with wreathed smiles, wont to spread for Samuel and Bozzy their "supper of the gods," has long since pocketed his last sixpence; and vanished, sixpence and all, like a ghost at cock-crowing.

Etymology 3

See back.

Noun

beck (plural becks)

1. A vat.

Etymology 4

Noun

beck (plural becks)

1. Obsolete form of beak.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Spenser to this entry?)

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Portuguese

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɛk(i)

Noun

beck m (plural becks)

1. Alternative spelling of beque

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Swedish

Pronunciation

• Homophone: bäck

Noun

beck n

1. pitch; A dark, extremely viscous material remaining in still after distilling crude oil and tar.

Declension

Declension of beck
	Uncountable
	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	beck	becket	—	—
Genitive	becks	beckets	—	—

Related terms

• becksvart