sake

See also: Appendix:Variations of "sake"

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English sake (“sake, cause”), from Old English sacu (“cause, lawsuit, legal action, complaint, issue, dispute”), from Proto-West Germanic *saku, from Proto-Germanic *sakō (“affair, thing, charge, accusation, matter”), from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂g- (“to investigate”).

Akin to West Frisian saak (“cause; business”), Low German Saak, Dutch zaak (“matter; cause; business”), German Sache (“thing; matter; cause; legal cause”), Danish sag, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish sak, Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌺𐌾𐍉 (sakjō, “dispute, argument”), Old English sōcn (“inquiry, prosecution”), Old English sēcan (“to seek”). More at soke, soken, seek.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈseɪ̯k/, [ˈseɪ̯k]

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪk
• Hyphenation: sake

Noun

sake (plural sakes)

1. Cause, interest or account.

   For the sake of argument

   I hope you're right, for all our sakes!

2. Purpose or end; reason.

   for old times' sake

   It's not worth risking your life for the sake of getting there a few minutes earlier.

3. The benefit or regard of someone or something.
   • 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Matthew xxiiij:[22], folio xxxiiij, verso:

     Ne ãd except thoſe dayes ſhulde be ſhoꝛtened / ſhulde no fleſſe be faved: Butt foꝛ the choſens ſake thoſe dayes ſhalbe ſhoꝛtened.

   • 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

     When I gave a dinner there was generally a cover laid for him. I liked the man for his own sake, and even had he promised to turn out a celebrity it would have had no weight with me.

   • 2005, Plato, Sophist. Translation by Lesley Brown. 242a-b.

     But it will be for your sake that we'll undertake to refute this thesis, […]

4. (obsolete except in phrases) Contention, strife; guilt, sin, accusation or charge.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 3:17:

     And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.

Usage notes

• The word sake is virtually only used in constructions of the form "for X's sake" or "for the sake of X", where X is a noun (see the quotations above, for sake of, and for the sake of).

• Garner's Modern American Usage notes it is common to write an (unpronounced) apostrophe rather than apostrophe–ess in this construction when the noun ends in an /s/ or /z/ sound: for appearance' sake, for goodness' sake.

Derived terms

• art for art's sake
• atsake
• for any sake
• for Christ's sake
• for cripes' sake
• for cripes sake
• for fuck's sake
• for fudge's sake
• for Goddess's sake
• for God's sake
• for goodness' sake
• for gosh sake
• for heaven's sake
• for land's sake
• for land's sake alive
• for mercy's sake
• for name's sake
• for old sake's sake
• for old times' sake
• for old time's sake
• for Pete's sake
• for pity's sake
• forsake
• for sake of
• for shame's sake
• for the land's sake
• for the land's sake alive
• for the sake of
• for the sake of it
• for very shame's sake
• fuck's sake
• keepsake
• land sake
• land sake alive
• land sakes
• land's sake
• land's sake alive
• looksake
• namesake
• name-sake
• sackless
• sake and soke
• unsake
• withersake
• withsake

Translations

cause, interest or account

• Arabic: غاية (ḡāya), غَرَض (ḡaraḍ), قَصْد (qaṣd),مَصْلَحَة (maṣlaḥa)
• Bulgarian: мотив (bg) m (motiv), цел (bg) f (cel)
• Danish: skyld c
• Finnish: syy (fi) (cause), tähden (fi) (for the sake of)
• German: Sinn (de) m, Ziel (de) n
• Italian: causa (it) f
• Khmer: ប្រយោជន៍ (km) (prɑyaoc)
• Latin: gratias (la) f, grātia (la) f
• Mirandese: please add this translation if you can
• Polish: wzgląd (pl) m
• Portuguese: causa (pt) f, causa (pt), interesse (pt)
• Russian: причи́на (ru) f (pričína)
• Spanish: causa (es) f, gracia (es) f
• Swedish: skull (sv)
• Tamil: please add this translation if you can
• Telugu: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: gaye (tr), kast (tr)

purpose or end; reason

• Bulgarian: причина (bg) f (pričina), име (bg) n (ime) (with definite article)
• Catalan: please add this translation if you can
• Danish: skyld c
• Dutch: -halve (nl), wille (nl)
• Finnish: takia (fi) (postposition; "for _'s sake")
• Khmer: ប្រយោជន៍ (km) (prɑyaoc)
• Latin: grātia (la) f
• Portuguese: razão (pt) f, motivo (pt) m
• Russian: причи́на (ru) f (pričína), моти́в (ru) m (motív), цель (ru) f (celʹ)
• Spanish: razón (es) f, motivo (es) m , gracia (es) f
• Walloon: idêye (wa) f, såme (wa) m

benefit

• Bulgarian: полза (bg) f (polza), благо (bg) n (blago)
• Danish: skyld c
• Finnish: etu (fi), paras (fi) (olla parhaaksi "be for one's sake")
• German: Vorteil (de) m
• Japanese: -のために (_ no tame ni)
• Khmer: ប្រយោជន៍ (km) (prɑyaoc)
• Latin: grātia (la) f
• Portuguese: bem (pt) m, benefício (pt)
• Russian: бла́го (ru) n (blágo)
• Spanish: bien (es) m , gracia (es) f, bienestar (es) m, beneficio (es) m
• Swedish: skull (sv)
• Turkish: menfaat (tr)
• Ukrainian: користь (uk) (korystʹ)

contention, strife; guilt

• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: gratia (la) f
• Spanish: gracia (es) f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Danish: skyld
• Dutch: belang (nl) n, wil (nl) m
• German: Willen (de) m
• Icelandic: í þágu
• Norwegian: skyld f
• Portuguese: causa (pt) f
• Welsh: ^{(please verify)} mwyn (cy)

Etymology 2

Noun

sake (countable and uncountable, plural sakes)

1. Alternative spelling of saké.

Derived terms

• saketini

Anagrams

• KEAS, akes, seak, aske, kesa, Kase, Seka, keas

Ainu

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sa.ke/

Etymology 1

clipping of sa (“refrain, tone”).

Noun

sake (Kana spelling サケ)

1. (inalienable, countable, music) refrain of a song or poem (yukar)

   Tan sinotca sakehe k-esinotcaki wa k-epakasnu wa ku-inkar.

   I’m trying to lean how to sing the refrain of this song.

Usage notes

• Originally an affiliative form, the word has displaced the root word sa. The term is used both as its own conceptual form and affiliative form, where the long affiliative form is sakehe.

Declension

Declension of sake

	Singular	Plural	Short Affiliative	Long Affiliative
Latin	sake	—	sake	sakehe
Katakana	サケ	—	サケ	サケヘ

See also

• sinotca (“song, music”)
• sinotcaki (“to sing”)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Japanese 酒 (sake, “alcoholic drink”).

Noun

sake (Kana spelling サケ)

1. (inalienable, uncountable, alcoholic beverages) sake (alcoholic drink made of rice)

   Paskur sake wente kusu, araykere.

   The crow was killed because he ruined the sake.

Declension

Declension of sake

	Singular	Plural	Short Affiliative	Long Affiliative
Latin	sake	—	sake	sakehe
Katakana	サケ	—	サケ	サケヘ

Dutch

Alternative forms

• saké, saki

Etymology

From Japanese 酒 (sake, “alcoholic drink”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsaː.keː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: sa‧ke

Noun

sake m (uncountable, no diminutive)

1. sake (Japanese rice wine)

   Hypernyms: rijstbier, rijstwijn

Finnish

Etymology

From Japanese 酒 (sake, “alcoholic drink”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɑke/, [ˈs̠ɑ̝k̟e̞]
• Rhymes: -ɑke
• Syllabification^(key): sa‧ke
• Hyphenation^(key): sa‧ke

Noun

sake

1. sake (Japanese rice wine)

Declension

Inflection of sake (Kotus type 8/nalle, no gradation)
nominative		sake	saket
genitive		saken	sakejen
partitive		sakea	sakeja
illative		sakeen	sakeihin
		singular	plural
nominative		sake	saket
accusative	nom.	sake	saket
	gen.	saken
genitive		saken	sakejen sakein rare
partitive		sakea	sakeja
inessive		sakessa	sakeissa
elative		sakesta	sakeista
illative		sakeen	sakeihin
adessive		sakella	sakeilla
ablative		sakelta	sakeilta
allative		sakelle	sakeille
essive		sakena	sakeina
translative		sakeksi	sakeiksi
abessive		saketta	sakeitta
instructive		—	sakein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

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

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative sakeni sakeni accusative nom. sakeni sakeni gen. sakeni genitive sakeni sakejeni sakeini rare partitive sakeani sakejani inessive sakessani sakeissani elative sakestani sakeistani illative sakeeni sakeihini adessive sakellani sakeillani ablative sakeltani sakeiltani allative sakelleni sakeilleni essive sakenani sakeinani translative sakekseni sakeikseni abessive sakettani sakeittani instructive — — comitative — sakeineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative sakesi sakesi accusative nom. sakesi sakesi gen. sakesi genitive sakesi sakejesi sakeisi rare partitive sakeasi sakejasi inessive sakessasi sakeissasi elative sakestasi sakeistasi illative sakeesi sakeihisi adessive sakellasi sakeillasi ablative sakeltasi sakeiltasi allative sakellesi sakeillesi essive sakenasi sakeinasi translative sakeksesi sakeiksesi abessive sakettasi sakeittasi instructive — — comitative — sakeinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative sakemme sakemme accusative nom. sakemme sakemme gen. sakemme genitive sakemme sakejemme sakeimme rare partitive sakeamme sakejamme inessive sakessamme sakeissamme elative sakestamme sakeistamme illative sakeemme sakeihimme adessive sakellamme sakeillamme ablative sakeltamme sakeiltamme allative sakellemme sakeillemme essive sakenamme sakeinamme translative sakeksemme sakeiksemme abessive sakettamme sakeittamme instructive — — comitative — sakeinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative sakenne sakenne accusative nom. sakenne sakenne gen. sakenne genitive sakenne sakejenne sakeinne rare partitive sakeanne sakejanne inessive sakessanne sakeissanne elative sakestanne sakeistanne illative sakeenne sakeihinne adessive sakellanne sakeillanne ablative sakeltanne sakeiltanne allative sakellenne sakeillenne essive sakenanne sakeinanne translative sakeksenne sakeiksenne abessive sakettanne sakeittanne instructive — — comitative — sakeinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative sakensa sakensa accusative nom. sakensa sakensa gen. sakensa genitive sakensa sakejensa sakeinsa rare partitive sakeaan sakeansa sakejaan sakejansa inessive sakessaan sakessansa sakeissaan sakeissansa elative sakestaan sakestansa sakeistaan sakeistansa illative sakeensa sakeihinsa adessive sakellaan sakellansa sakeillaan sakeillansa ablative sakeltaan sakeltansa sakeiltaan sakeiltansa allative sakelleen sakellensa sakeilleen sakeillensa essive sakenaan sakenansa sakeinaan sakeinansa translative sakekseen sakeksensa sakeikseen sakeiksensa abessive sakettaan sakettansa sakeittaan sakeittansa instructive — — comitative — sakeineen sakeinensa

Further reading

• “sake”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 3 July 2023

Anagrams

• eksa-, seka-

Hausa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sà.kéː/
  • (Standard Kano Hausa) IPA^(key): [sə̀.céː]

Noun

sàkē m (possessed form sàken)

1. slackness

Indonesian

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Japanese 酒(さけ) (sake, “alcoholic drink”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈsake/ [ˈsa.ke]
• Rhymes: -ake
• Syllabification: sa‧ke

Noun

saké

1. sake (Japanese rice wine)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Central Malay [Term?] (Basemah).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈsake/ [ˈsa.ke]
• Rhymes: -ake
• Syllabification: sa‧ke

Noun

saké

1. (dialect, Basemah) harvesting is carried out when the coffee plant is six years old

Further reading

• “sake”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Japanese

Romanization

sake

1. Rōmaji transcription of さけ
2. Rōmaji transcription of サケ

Kapampangan

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *sakay.

Verb

sake

1. to board, to embark, to ride

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *saka, from Proto-West Germanic *saku.

Noun

sāke f

1. case, matter, affair
2. thing
3. cause, reason

Inflection

Weak feminine noun

	singular	plural
nominative	sāke	sāken
accusative	sāke	sāken
genitive	sāke, sāken	sāken
dative	sāke, sāken	sāken

Descendants

• Dutch: zaak
• Limburgish: zaak

Further reading

• “sake”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “sake”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

Moore

Etymology

Cognate with Farefare sakɛ

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sà.ke/

Verb

sake

1. to take out
2. to accept, agree, approve of, tolerate, permit, obey
3. to answer to a call
4. to succeed, do well

Nigerian Pidgin

Etymology

From English sake, when used in for sake of.

Adverb

sake

1. because
   • 2025 April 23, Orla Guerin, “More dan 150 pipo injure as earthquakes shake buildings for Turkey Istanbul”, in BBC News Pidgin‎^[2]:

     Istanbul govnor office say at least 151 pipo injure afta dem jump from high places sake of panic wey di earthquake cause.

     The Istanbul governor's office says at least 151 people were injured after they jumped from high places because of the panic that the earthquake caused.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Japanese 酒 (sake, “alcoholic drink”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²saːkə/

Noun

sake m (definite singular saken, indefinite plural sakar, definite plural sakane)

1. saké (Japanese rice wine)

   Hypernyms: risøl, risvin

References

• “sake” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• 𑀲𑀓𑁂 (Brahmi script)
• सके (Devanagari script)
• সকে (Bengali script)
• සකෙ (Sinhalese script)
• သကေ or သၵေ (Burmese script)
• สเก or สะเก (Thai script)
• ᩈᨠᩮ (Tai Tham script)
• ສເກ or ສະເກ (Lao script)
• សកេ (Khmer script)
• 𑄥𑄇𑄬 (Chakma script)

Adjective

sake

1. inflection of saka (“one's own”):
   1. masculine/neuter locative singular
   2. masculine accusative plural
   3. feminine vocative singular

Pohnpeian

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

sake

1. To be tilted.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Japanese 酒(さけ) (sake).

Noun

sake

1. (alcoholic beverages) saké

References

• “sake”, in New Pohnpeian-English Online Dictionary‎^[3], Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaiʻi

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 酒 (sake, “alcoholic drink”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsa.kɛ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -akɛ
• Syllabification: sa‧ke

Noun

sake n (indeclinable)

1. sake (Japanese rice wine)

Further reading

• “sake”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[4] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “sake”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[5] (in Polish)

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• saquê, saqué

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Japanese 酒 (sake, “alcoholic drink”).

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /saˈke/, /saˈkɛ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /saˈke/, /saˈkɛ/

Noun

sake m (plural sakes)

1. sake (Japanese rice wine)

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:saquê.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French saké, from Japanese 酒 (sake, “alcoholic drink”).

Noun

sake n (uncountable)

1. sake

Declension

singular only	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	sake	sakeul
genitive-dative	sake	sakeului
vocative	sakeule

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 酒 (sake, “alcoholic drink”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsake/ [ˈsa.ke]
• Rhymes: -ake
• Syllabification: sa‧ke
• Homophone: saque

Noun

sake m (plural sakes)

1. sake (Japanese rice wine)

Further reading

• “sake”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Swedish

ett glas sake

Alternative forms

• saké

Noun

sake c

1. saké (rice wine)

Declension

Declension of sake

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	sake	sakes
	definite	saken	sakens
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—

References

• “sake”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “sake”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “sake”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)