spitchcock

The story

1. Old English · inherited fromcoc
2. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*spey-“sharp point; stick”
3. Old English · inherited fromspitu
4. Old Norse · derived fromspík
5. Old English · inherited fromspiċ“bacon; lard”
6. Old English · inherited fromcōc“a cook”
7. Middle English · inherited from*speche
8. Middle English · inherited fromspiche-coke“eel split lengthwise and broiled”
9. English todayspitchcock

The noun is derived from Middle English spiche-coke (“eel split lengthwise and broiled”). The further etymology is uncertain; the following possibilities have been suggested: * From Middle English *speche, *spiche (“to split”) + cock, coken (“to allow (something) to cook; to cook”) (from cok (“person who cooks food, cook”), from Old English cōc (“a cook”)). * From spik (“animal fat, especially lard”) (from Old English spiċ (“bacon; lard”)), spik, spike (“large nail; pointed stud”) (possibly from Old Norse spík, spíkr (“nail”)), or spit, spite (“rod for cooking meat, spit; pointed object”) (from Old English spitu, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *spey- (“sharp point; stick”)) + cok (“male of the common domestic fowl, cock, rooster”) (from Old English coc, cocc). The verb is probably derived from the noun.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• late 16th – 18th c. A method of cooking an eel (or occasionally some other fish) by splitting it along the back, cutting it into pieces, and broiling or frying it.
• from early 17th c. An eel (or other fish) prepared in this way.