Meanings
keck1
present singular third person kecks · participle present kecking · participle past kecked · past kecked
- intransitiveTo heave or retch as if to vomit.
The faction (is it not notorious?) / Keck at the memory of Glorious [William III of England]: […]
1728, Jonathan Swift, “A Dialogue between Mad Mullinix and Timothy”, in Thomas Sheridan, John Nichols, editors, The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, […], new edition, volume VII, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], published 1801, →OCLC, page 4041 more example
Indeed Erskine never opened his mouth, in Watt's presence, except to eat, or belch, or cough, or keck, or muse, or sigh, or sing, or sneeze.
1953, Samuel Beckett, Watt, [Paris]: Olympia Press, →OCLC
keck2
- dialectaluncountableThe cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris).
keck3
Keck4
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
keck · noun
From earlier dialectal kex, of Celtic origin, probably from the same ultimate source as Latin cicuta (“hemlock”).
Full word history & related roots →keck · noun
- Manxkeck“shit”
- Englishkeck
From Manx keck (“shit”).
More words from Manx
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian гадя се
- гадя се (gadja se)heave as if to vomit
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with keck
Cite this entry
keck. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/keck
“keck.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/keck. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “keck,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/keck.
Source: keck on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.