reek

reek · noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*rowgi-
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*raukiz
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*rauki
4. Old English · inherited fromrēc
5. Middle English · inherited fromrek
6. English todayreek

From Middle English rek, reke (“smoke”), from Old English rēc, from Proto-West Germanic *rauki, from Proto-Germanic *raukiz, from Proto-Indo-European *rowgi-. Cognate with West Frisian reek, riik, Dutch rook (“smoke”), Low German Röök, German Rauch (“smoke”), Danish røg (“smoke”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk røyk (“smoke”), Swedish rök (“smoke”), Faroese roykur (“smoke”), Icelandic reykur (“smoke”); also Lithuanian rū̃kti (“to smoke”), rū̃kas (“smoke, fog”), Albanian regj (“to tan”).

reek · verb²

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*rougi-
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*reukaną
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*reukan
4. Old English · inherited fromrēocan
5. Middle English · inherited fromreken“to smoke”
6. English todayreek

From Middle English reken (“to smoke”), from Old English rēocan, from Proto-West Germanic *reukan, from Proto-Germanic *reukaną, from Proto-Indo-European *rougi-. See above. Related to Dutch ruiken, Low German rüken, German riechen, Danish ryge, Swedish ryka.

reek · noun³

1. Old English · inherited fromhrēac
2. Middle English · inherited fromreke“heap, pile”
3. English todayreek

From Middle English reke (“heap, pile”), from Old English hrēac.

reek · noun⁴

Probably a transferred use (after Irish cruach (“stack (of corn), pile, mountain, hill”)) of a variant of rick, with which it is cognate.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 19th c. To cause (something) to smell.