steak

Pronunciation

• IPA: /steɪk/^[1]

Etymology

It is probably borrowed from a Scandinavian source such as borrowed from Old Norse steik (“roast meat”),^[2][3][4][5] related to steikja, to roast on a spit, and stikna, to be roasted,^[4][6] and ultimately meaning “something stuck” on a spit (see stick).^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A thick slice of meat cut for roasting or grilling: 1440 in the Promptorium Parvulorum;^[2] the surname Laythstayk is from 1313–17.^[2]

Semantic evolution

A thick slice of a large fish, such as cod or salmon, is from 1883.^[7] A Hamburg steak, of minced meat, is from 1884,^[7] the forerunner of the hamburger.^[8] Steak now means chiefly beef unless another meat is named.^[9][8]

Timeline

• 1313–17 – Laythstayk (surname).^[2]
• 1440 – a slice of meat.^[2]
• 1883 – a fish steak.^[7]
• 1884 – Hamburg steak.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A thick slice of beef or other meat, usually cut across the grain and grilled or fried.
2. A thick slice of a large fish.
3. Minced meat shaped and cooked like a steak.

Word family

• cheesesteak
• steakhouse
• flank steak
• carpetbag steak
• chicken-fried steak
• club steak
• cube steak
• Delmonico steak

Related words

• stick
• beefsteak

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
9. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin