1. A nobleman with the highest hereditary rank, especially a man of the highest grade of the peerage in Great Britain. 2. A sovereign prince who rules an independent duchy in some European countries. 3.abbr.D. or Du. Used as the title for such a nobleman. 4.Slang A fist. Often used in the plural: Put up your dukes!5.Botany A type of cherry intermediate between a sweet and a sour cherry.
INTRANSITIVE VERB:
Inflected forms: duked, duk·ing, dukes To fight, especially with fists: duking it out.
ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English, from Old French duc, from Latin dux, duc-, leader, from dcere, to lead. See deuk- in Appendix I. N., sense 4, short for Duke of Yorks, rhyming slang for forks, fingers.
d
k, dy
cere, to lead. See deuk- in Appendix I. N., sense 4, short for Duke of Yorks, rhyming slang for forks, fingers.
