poke

See also: Poké-

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: pōk, IPA^(key): /pəʊk/
• enPR: pōk, IPA^(key): /poʊk/

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊk, -oʊk

Etymology 1

Middle English, perhaps from Middle Dutch poken or Middle Low German poken (both from Proto-Germanic *puk-), which is probably imitative.

Verb

1. To prod or jab with an object such as a finger or a stick. [from later 14th c.]
   • 2010 December 29, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolverhampton”, in BBC‎^[1]:

     Ward showed good pace to beat the advancing Reina to the ball and poke a low finish into the corner.

2. To stir up a fire to remove ash or promote burning.
3. (figuratively) To rummage; to feel or grope around. [from early 19th c.]

   I poked about in the rubble, trying to find my lost keys.

4. (transitive, computing) To modify the value stored in (a memory address).
   • 1984 July, Franco Frey, “SPECGRAFFITI”, in Crash, number 6:

     The 200 UDGs may be used either by paging between 10 sets of 20 UDGs or, alternatively, by displaying 96 different characters by poking the system variable CHARS with 256 less than the starting address of your graphics.

   • 1985, Tom Weishaar, Bert Kersey, The DOStalk Scrapbook, page 44:

     If you try to poke a value outside this range into a byte, Basic will beep you with an ILLEGAL QUANTITY error.

5. (transitive) To put a poke (device to prevent leaping or breaking fences) on (an animal).

   to poke an ox

6. (transitive) To thrust at with the horns; to gore.
7. (transitive, informal, Internet) To notify (another user) of activity on social media or an instant messenger.
8. (transitive) To thrust (something) in a particular direction such as the tongue.
9. (transitive, slang, vulgar) To penetrate in sexual intercourse.

Derived terms

Terms derived from poke (verb)

• poke along
• poke bonnet
• poke box
• poke fun
• toepoke

 

Translations

to jab with an object such as a finger or a stick

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Assamese: খুচৰ (khusor)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 戳 (zh) (chuō), 捅 (zh) (tǒng), 刺 (zh) (cì)

• Dutch: porren (nl)
• Esperanto: punkttuŝi
• Finnish: tökkiä (fi), sorkkia (fi), tökätä (fi)
• French: piquer (fr)
• Galician: zoscar, chuzar, picar (gl), fochicar (gl)
• German: stochern (de), anstupsen (de), anstupsen (de)
• Hindi: उंगली करना (uṅglī karnā)
• Italian: ficcare (it), pungolare (it), spronare (it)
• Japanese: 突く (ja) (つく, tsuku), 突く (ja) (つつく, tsutsuku)
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: fodicō
• Maori: tīkapekape
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Nigerian Pidgin: chook
• Norwegian: pirke, stikke (no)
• Persian: سک زدن (sok zadan)
• Polish: dźgnąć
• Portuguese: cutucar (pt)
• Russian: ты́кать (ru) impf (týkatʹ), ткнуть (ru) pf (tknutʹ), сова́ть (ru) impf (sovátʹ), су́нуть (ru) pf (súnutʹ)
• Santali: ᱨᱳᱜ (rok’)
• Spanish: hurgar (es)
• Swedish: peta (sv)
• Tagalog: sundot
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

to poke a fire to remove ash or promote burning

• Czech: prohrábnout
• Dutch: poken (nl), opporren (nl)
• Finnish: kohentaa (fi)
• French: attiser (fr)
• Galician: zoscar, atizar (gl)
• Gallurese: abbruncà
• German: schüren (de)
• Italian: attizzare (it)
• Maori: tīkapekape
• Norwegian: nøre
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: atiçar (pt)
• Quechua: achiy
• Russian: шурова́ть (ru) impf (šurovátʹ), (кочерго́й) меша́ть (ru) impf (mešátʹ)
• Sardinian:

  Campidanese: acchiccare

  Logudorese: acchiccare

• Sassarese: attitzà
• Spanish: atizar (es)
• Swedish: peta (sv)

rummage — see rummage

computing: to modify the value stored in a memory address

• Finnish: kirjoittaa (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

to stick out the tongue

• Finnish: tökätä (fi)
• Maori: whātero
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian: geipe

Noun

poke (plural pokes)

1. A prod, jab, or thrust.
2. (US, slang) A lazy person; a dawdler.
3. (US, slang) A stupid or uninteresting person.

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

4. (US) A device to prevent an animal from leaping or breaking through fences, consisting of a yoke with a pole inserted, pointed forward.
5. (computing) The storage of a value in a memory address, typically to modify the behaviour of a program or to cheat at a video game.
   • 1984, Electronics & Wireless World, volume 90, page 6:

     […] everywhere you see listings festooned with Goto statements and peppered with peeks and pokes.

   • 1984, Northcon/84, Mini/Micro Northwest-84 Conference Record:

     One of the major limitations is that the Commodore 64 does not easily support auto-repeat (it must be turned on by a poke instruction from BASIC).

   • 1988 July, Lloyd Mangram, “Forum”, in Crash, number 54:

     Perhaps all those super hackers who so regularly produce infinite lives etc. could produce pokes to be used by 128K users.

6. (informal, Internet) A notification sent to get another user's attention on social media or an instant messenger.
7. A poke bonnet.

Derived terms

• better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick

Etymology 2

From Middle English poke, from Anglo-Norman poke (whence pocket), from Frankish *poka. More at pocket.

Noun

poke (plural pokes)

1. (now regional) A sack or bag. [from early 13th c.]
   • c. 1599, William Shakespeare, As You Like It, act 2, scene 7:

     And then he drew a dial from his poke,
     And, looking on it with lack-lustre eye,
     Says very wisely, ‘It is ten o'clock…’

   • 1605, William Camden, Remaines Concerning Brittaine, 1629 edition, Proverbes, page 276:

     When the Pig is proffered, hold vp the poke.

   • 1627, Michael Drayton, Minor Poems of Michael Drayton, 1907 edition, poem Nimphidia:

     And suddainly vntyes the Poke,
     Which out of it sent such a smoke,
     As ready was them all to choke,
     So greeuous was the pother [...].

   • 1814, September 4, The Examiner, volume 13, number 349, article French Fashions, page 573:

     … and as to shape, a nightmare has as much. Under the poke and the muff-box, the face sometimes entirely disappears …

   • 1946, Mezz Mezzrow and Bernard Wolfe, Really the Blues, Payback Press 1999, page 91:

     In the summertime they'd reach out and snatch your straw hat right off your head, and if you were fool enough to go after it your poke was bound to be lighter when you came out.

   • 2008, James Kelman, Kieron Smith, Boy, Penguin 2009, page 138:

     She did not eat blood-oranges. Her maw gived her one in a poke and she was going to throw it in the bin, Oh it is all black.

2. A long, wide sleeve; a poke sleeve.
3. (Scotland, Northern Ireland) An ice cream cone.

Derived terms

• buy a pig in a poke
• pocket

 

Translations

sack or bag

• Finnish: säkki (fi), pussi (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Sack (de) m

ice cream cone — see ice cream cone

Etymology 3

Either a shortening of, or from the same source as, pocan (“pokeweed”) (q.v.).

Noun

poke (plural pokes)

1. (dialectal) pokeweed

Synonyms

• see the list at pokeweed

Translations

pokeweed — see pokeweed

Etymology 4

From Hawaiian poke (“slice crossways”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpoʊ.keɪ/

Noun

poke (uncountable)

1. (Hawaii) Slices or cubes of raw fish or other raw seafood, mixed with sesame oil, seaweed, sea salt, herbs, spices, or other flavorful ingredients.

Usage notes

Often typeset as poké to aid pronunciation.

Anagrams

• kepo

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Finnish

Declension

Inflection of poke (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)
nominative		poke	poket
genitive		poken	pokejen
partitive		pokea	pokeja
illative		pokeen	pokeihin
		singular	plural
nominative		poke	poket
accusative	nom.	poke	poket
	gen.	poken
genitive		poken	pokejen pokein rare
partitive		pokea	pokeja
inessive		pokessa	pokeissa
elative		pokesta	pokeista
illative		pokeen	pokeihin
adessive		pokella	pokeilla
ablative		pokelta	pokeilta
allative		pokelle	pokeille
essive		pokena	pokeina
translative		pokeksi	pokeiksi
abessive		poketta	pokeitta
instructive		—	pokein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of poke (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative pokeni pokeni accusative nom. pokeni pokeni gen. pokeni genitive pokeni pokejeni pokeini rare partitive pokeani pokejani inessive pokessani pokeissani elative pokestani pokeistani illative pokeeni pokeihini adessive pokellani pokeillani ablative pokeltani pokeiltani allative pokelleni pokeilleni essive pokenani pokeinani translative pokekseni pokeikseni abessive pokettani pokeittani instructive — — comitative — pokeineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative pokesi pokesi accusative nom. pokesi pokesi gen. pokesi genitive pokesi pokejesi pokeisi rare partitive pokeasi pokejasi inessive pokessasi pokeissasi elative pokestasi pokeistasi illative pokeesi pokeihisi adessive pokellasi pokeillasi ablative pokeltasi pokeiltasi allative pokellesi pokeillesi essive pokenasi pokeinasi translative pokeksesi pokeiksesi abessive pokettasi pokeittasi instructive — — comitative — pokeinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative pokemme pokemme accusative nom. pokemme pokemme gen. pokemme genitive pokemme pokejemme pokeimme rare partitive pokeamme pokejamme inessive pokessamme pokeissamme elative pokestamme pokeistamme illative pokeemme pokeihimme adessive pokellamme pokeillamme ablative pokeltamme pokeiltamme allative pokellemme pokeillemme essive pokenamme pokeinamme translative pokeksemme pokeiksemme abessive pokettamme pokeittamme instructive — — comitative — pokeinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative pokenne pokenne accusative nom. pokenne pokenne gen. pokenne genitive pokenne pokejenne pokeinne rare partitive pokeanne pokejanne inessive pokessanne pokeissanne elative pokestanne pokeistanne illative pokeenne pokeihinne adessive pokellanne pokeillanne ablative pokeltanne pokeiltanne allative pokellenne pokeillenne essive pokenanne pokeinanne translative pokeksenne pokeiksenne abessive pokettanne pokeittanne instructive — — comitative — pokeinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative pokensa pokensa accusative nom. pokensa pokensa gen. pokensa genitive pokensa pokejensa pokeinsa rare partitive pokeaan pokeansa pokejaan pokejansa inessive pokessaan pokessansa pokeissaan pokeissansa elative pokestaan pokestansa pokeistaan pokeistansa illative pokeensa pokeihinsa adessive pokellaan pokellansa pokeillaan pokeillansa ablative pokeltaan pokeltansa pokeiltaan pokeiltansa allative pokelleen pokellensa pokeilleen pokeillensa essive pokenaan pokenansa pokeinaan pokeinansa translative pokekseen pokeksensa pokeikseen pokeiksensa abessive pokettaan pokettansa pokeittaan pokeittansa instructive — — comitative — pokeineen pokeinensa

Etymology 1

From portsari (“doorman”).

Noun

poke

1. (slang) doorman, bouncer (at a bar or nightclub)

Etymology 2

From porno (“pornography”).

Noun

poke

1. (slang) pornography

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Ido

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpoke/

Adverb

poke

1. slightly

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Maori

Adjective

poke

1. grimy

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Old French

Alternative forms

• poque, pouche, puche

Etymology

Of Frankish origin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɔ.kə/

Noun

poke oblique singular, f (oblique plural pokes, nominative singular poke, nominative plural pokes)

1. sack

   E puis les poudrez bien de sel e les mettez ensemble en une poke de bon kanevaz

Derived terms

• poket

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Tocharian A

Etymology

Compare Tocharian B pokai.

Noun

poke

1. arm