Etymology

juke

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Today it means: A roadside cafe or bar, especially one with dancing and sometimes prostitution. Full definition →

Gullah juke
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juke · noun, verb1

  1. Gullah · borrowed fromjuke
  2. English todayjuke

From Gullah juke, jook, joog (“wicked, disorderly”) (compare Wolof and Bambara dzug (“unsavory”)).

juke · verb2

  1. Jamaican Creole · borrowed fromjook
  2. Jamaican Creole · borrowed fromjook
  3. English todayjuke

Borrowed from Jamaican Creole jook.

juke · verb, noun3

  1. Scots · derived fromdeuk
  2. Scots · borrowed fromjouk
  3. English todayjuke

Uncertain. Perhaps from Scots jouk, jowk, juke (“to elude, cheat; duck, skulk; bob, dodge”), palatalized variants of Scots deuk, douk, dowk (“to duck”). More at duck (verb).

Words from the same roots

Gullahjuke all →

jook

Jamaican Creolejook all →

jook

Scotsjouk all →

jouk

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.