▪ I. † woke, a. Obs.
Forms: α. 1–3 wac (1 waac, infl. wake), 4 north. wak, 4–5 wake; β. 2–3 woc, (3 wooc, infl. woke), 3–5 wok, 5 woke; 1 compar. waccra, superl. 1 waccust, 4 wakkest.
[Com. Teut. (wanting in Goth. and Fris.): OE. wác, corresp. to OS., MLG. wêk, MDu. weec (Du. week), OHG. weih (MHG., G. weich) yielding, soft, ON. veikr, v{obar}yk-r (Sw. vek, Da. veg soft, Norw. veik) weak:—OTeut. *waikwo-, f. *waikw-: *wī̆kw- to yield, give way: see wike v. Cf. weak a., a. ON. veikr.
The word died out in the 15th c., being superseded by weak; if it had survived, its form in mod.Eng. would have been *wook (wuk), the vowel being modified in quality by the initial (w) and shortened by the final (k).]
= weak a. in various senses. a. Pliant, flexible (only OE.). b. Lacking in strength, vigour, endurance, or courage; inferior physically or morally. c. Lowly in status or degree; insignificant.
| c 897 ælfred Gregory's Past. C. xlii. 306 Sua sua wac hreod & idel, ðe ælc hwiða windes mæᵹ awecggan. a 1000 Wanderer 67 Ne sceal no to hatheort ne to hrædwyrde ne to wac wiᵹa ne to wanhydiᵹ. c 1000 ælfric Hom. I. 2 Ic ælfric munuc and mæssepreost, swa þeah waccre þonne swilcum hadum ᵹebyriᵹe. c 1050 Suppl. ælfric's Gloss. in Wr.-Wülcker 191/19 Lentus, waac. 1050–73 Charter in Thorpe Charters (1865) 430, ii forealdode rædingbec swiðe wake, and .i. wac mæssereaf. c 1200 Ormin 18328 Icc amm i me sellfenn wac & full off unntrummnesse. c 1205 Lay. 23593 Ah fehten ich wulle..wið Arðure kinge, whaðer unkere swa beoð þere wakere sone he bið þe laðere. a 1225 Ancr. R. 12 Do wel & dem ðe suluen euer woc. Ibid. 52 Ofte a ful hawur smið smeoðið a ful woc knif. c 1230 Hali Meid. (1922) 9 Drehen se moni wa, for swa wac huire as te world forȝelt eauer at ten ende. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 1197 Ȝhe wurd wið child, on elde wac. a 1275 Prov. Alfred 581 in O.E. Misc. 135 Min hew falewidþ, and min wlite is wan, and min herte woc. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 354, I am þe wakkest, I wot, and of wyt feblest. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xvi. (Magdalene) 389 For þu art wak & gret with barne. c 1425 Engl. Conq. Ireland 146 The englysshe weren both argh & woke to assayllen and to fyght, þe Iresshe stronge & bold to wythstonde. c 1450 Mirk's Festial 196 Then callyd þe norys to þe modyr, and bade hur..helpe hur forto folde þe chyldys cloþis; for scho was to woke, and myght not welde hom. 1457 Harding Chron. i. in Engl. Hist. Rev. (1912) Oct. 743 With incurable mayme that maketh me wake. |
d. woke fish [cf. G. weichfisch], dried cod, stockfish.
| 1386 in R. R. Sharpe Cal. Letter-bk. H Lond. (1907) 299 Stokfisshe [called] halfwoxefisshe [sic]. |
▪ II. † woke, v. Obs.
Forms: 1 wacian, 3 wakien, 3–4 woke, wokie.
[OE. wácian, f. wác woke a.]
1. intr. To grow or become weak, to weaken; to become less severe, be mitigated.
| 993 Battle of Maldon 10 Þe þam man mihte oncnawan þæt se cniht nolde wacian æt þam wiᵹe. 1003 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.), Ðonne se heretoᵹa wacað, þonne bið eall se here swiðe ᵹehindred. c 1205 Lay. 2938 Þa ældede þe king & wakede an aðelan. Ibid. 13466 Þa heo weore swa drunken Þæt wakeden heore sconken. Ibid. 19798 His heorte gon to wakien [c 1275 wokie]. c 1275 Signs of Death 2 in O.E. Misc. 101 [H]wenne þin heou blokeþ And þi strengþe wokeþ. c 1374 [see weak v. 2]. |
2. trans. a. To dilute, water. b. To soften (in quot. fig.). c. To soak in water: = weak v. 1 b.
| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xv. 332 As who so filled a tonne of a fresshe ryuer, And went forth with þat water to woke with themese. 1393 Ibid. C. xv. 25 Ac grace groweþ nat til goode wil gynne reyne, And wokie þorwe good werkes wikkede hertes. Ibid. xvii. 332 [He] with warme water of hus eyen wokeþ hit til hit white. |
Hence † woked ppl. a., steeped.
| 1408–9 in R. R. Sharpe Cal. Letter-bk. I Lond. (1909) 71 [A proclamation forbidding the sale by retail of watered fish] pessoun eawee [called in English] Wokedfyssh. |
▪ III. woke
obs. pa. tense of ache v.; pa. tense and pple. of wake v.; obs. form of oak, week.