Etymologically
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steak

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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

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