hock
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
hock¹
- /hɒk/ UK
- /hɑk/ US
Sounds like hawk (cot–caught merger) · Rhymes with -ɒk
Where it comes from
Clipping of hockamore, from German.
noun hocks
-
A Rhenish wine, of a light yellow color, either sparkling or still, from the Hochheim region; often applied to all Rhenish wines.
That night he strolled into the Palette Club about eleven o’clock, and found Trevor sitting by himself in the smoking-room drinking hock and seltzer.
Similar: Hochheimer
hock²
Where it comes from
From Middle English hough, hoche, hokke, from Old English hōh, from Proto-West Germanic *hą̄h, from Proto-Germanic *hanhaz, from Proto-Indo-European *kenk-.
See also West Frisian hakke, Dutch hak, German Low German Hacke, Hack (“heel”); also Lithuanian ki̇̀nka (“leg, thigh, knee-cap”), kenklė̃ (“knee-cap”), Sanskrit कङ्काल (kaṅkāla, “skeleton”).
noun hocks
- The tarsal joint of a digitigrade quadruped, such as a horse, pig or dog. Anyway, you only have one golden retriever, SWORDDOG, and she is already armed to the hocks.
- Meat from that part of a food animal.
- The hollow behind the knee.
hock³
Where it comes from
From the phrase in hock, circa 1855-60, from Dutch hok (“hutch, hovel, jail, pen, doghouse”). Compare also Middle English hukken (“to sell; peddle; sell at auction”), see huck.
verb hocks · hocking · hocked
- To leave with a pawnbroker as security for a loan. “So telleth, Bender-- What hath happened to you body?” “I hocked it.” “Hocked it? Why wouldst thou do that?” “Same reason you hocked your teeth.” “Ah, booze money.” “I remember my body. Flabby, pasty-skinned, riddled with phlebitis. A good Republican body. God, I loved it.”
noun
- Pawn, obligation as collateral for a loan. He needed $750 to get his guitar out of hock at the pawnshop.
- Debt. They were in hock to the bank for $35 million.
- Installment purchase. Later, Uncle Doc bought a couch on hock, then a bed.
- Prison.
hock⁴
Where it comes from
From Yiddish האַק (hak), imperative singular form of האַקן (hakn, “to knock”), from the idiomatic expression האַק מיר נישט קיין טשײַניק (hak mir nisht keyn tshaynik, “don't knock a teakettle at me”).
verb hocks · hocking · hocked · hak
- To bother; to pester; to annoy incessantly.
hock⁵
Where it comes from
Probably imitative (a variant form of hawk (“cough”)), like hack (“cough”), although see that entry for more.
verb hocks · hocking · hocked
- Alternative form of hawk (“cough, clear one's throat of phlegm”).
noun hocks
-
Alternative form of hawk (“cough”).
One or two coughs signified 1 or 2. Clearing a throat meant 3. A loud hock was 4 and a loud sneeze or spit indicated 5. The new system gained favor. Jerry figured the guards must have thought the POWs were near death given the volume of bodily noise coming from Alcatraz.
Similar: hocking
hock⁶
noun hocks
- The last card turned up in the game of faro.
Hock⁷
proper noun
- A surname.
Translations
Every language
noun tarsal joint of a digitigrade quadruped
| Español | corvejón, jarrete, tarso, corvejos |
|---|---|
| Português | gâmbia |
| Français | jarret |
| Deutsch | Haxe, Hachse |
| Italiano | garretto |
| Русский | скакательный суста́в skakatelʹnyj sustáv |
noun hollow of the knee
| Español | corva, jarrete |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 오금 ogeum |
| Tiếng Việt | khoeo chân |
verb leave with a pawnbroker as security
| Español | empeñarse |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | verpfänden, versetzen |
| Русский | закла́дывать zakládyvatʹ |
Talk about this word "hock." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/hock. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. hock. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/hock "hock." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/hock.Cite this
@misc{hock_2026,
title = {hock},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/hock},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
