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| Source: Check this one out! |
In 1951, a new word came into being and later was added to the dictionary: Eek, which
means “an expression of surprise”. Why
this word was worthy to be added makes no sense, no sense at all.
But what about this
one: Eke?
Is it real? What the heck does it mean? Was it a 1951 wonder?
Actually, this is an
ancient word. From around 900 AD, “eke”
came into being from a combination of languages.
Germanic and Norse
contributed auka. Latin added the word augēr. Old English mixed
those into ēacian. Finally Middle English created eek.
All the words in
their different languages mean “to manage to support oneself, but barely.” It also means “to enlarge, to increase, and
to stretch resources.”
As long as humans have existed, all have been trying to eke out a living. They were trying to stretch what they had
just a little bit farther. If they had
not done so, surviving became a serious issue.
Eek wisely became
EKE. After all, who had ever heard of
EEK?
Oddly enough, I have been trying to eke all my life, and I never knew it.
