soke

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*seh₂g-“to track”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*sōkniz“seeking, inquiry”
3. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*sōkni
4. Old English · derived fromsōcn“jurisdiction, prosecution”
5. Middle English · derived fromsoke
6. English todaysoke

From Middle English soke, from Medieval Latin (Anglo-Latin) sōca "right of jurisdiction", from Old English sōcn (“jurisdiction, prosecution”, literally “act of seeking”), from Proto-West Germanic *sōkni, from Proto-Germanic *sōkniz (“seeking, inquiry”), from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂g- (“to track”). Cognates: see English soken. More at sake, seek.

Words from the same roots