speak

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speak

/spiːk/ UK
/spik/ US

Rhymes with -iːk

Where it comes from

From Middle English speke, speken (“to speak”), from Old English specan (“to speak”). This is usually taken to be an irregular alteration of earlier sprecan, spreocan (“to speak”), from Proto-West Germanic *sprekan, from Proto-Germanic *sprekaną (“to speak, make a sound”), from Proto-Indo-European *spreg- (“to make a sound, utter, speak”). Finding this proposed loss of r from the stable cluster spr unparalleled, Hill instead sets up a different root, Proto-West Germanic *spekan (“to negotiate”) from Proto-Indo-European *bʰégʾ-e- (“to distribute”) with *s-mobile, which collapsed in meaning with *sprekan ("to speak" < "to crackle, prattle") and so came to be seen as a free variant thereof.

Cognates

Cognate with Scots speak, speik (“to speak”), Saterland Frisian spreke (“to speak”), West Frisian sprekke (“to speak”), Central Franconian sjprèche (“to speak”), Dutch and Low German spreken (“to speak”), German sprechen (“to speak”), Luxembourgish spriechen (“to speak”), and also with Albanian shpreh (“to express, manifest, show”) through Indo-European.

verb speaks · speaking · spoke · spake · speak

intransitive To communicate with one's voice, to say words out loud. And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes. He said that if you wanted to do anything for them, you must rule them, not pamper them.
intransitive, reciprocal To have a conversation. It's been ages since we've spoken.
broadly To communicate or converse by some means other than orally, such as writing or facial expressions. He spoke of it in his diary.
intransitive To deliver a message to a group; to deliver a speech. This evening I shall speak on the topic of correct English usage.
stative, transitive To be able to communicate in a language. He speaks Mandarin fluently.
broadly, stative, transitive To be able to communicate in the manner of specialists in a field. Even those who did 'speak computer' did so sometimes in a less than fluent way which required a jump to be made from a press-the-right-button stage to having the confidence to experiment.
transitive To utter. And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.
transitive To communicate (some fact or feeling); to bespeak, to indicate. Their behaviour to each other speaks the most cordial confidence and happiness.
humorous, informal, sometimes, transitive To understand (as though it were a language). Sorry, I don't speak idiot.
intransitive To produce a sound; to sound. Make all our trumpets speak.
Of a bird, to be able to vocally reproduce words or phrases from a human language. Miles tremblingly confessed that it had, but to no purpose; a parrot being able to speak better in three weeks than a brazen head.
archaic, transitive To address; to accost; to speak to. [He will] thee in hope; he will speak thee fair.

noun speaks · speake · speke

uncountable Language, jargon, or terminology used uniquely in a particular environment or group. corporate speak; IT speak
countable Speech, conversation.
abbreviation, clipping, countable, informal Clipping of speaker point.speaker point We will deduct speaks for hesitation.

noun speaks · speake · speke

dated a low class bar, a speakeasy.

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