gleek

G2L1E1E1K5
UK, US/ɡliːk/

noun

A once-popular game of cards played by three people.

Similar
Scrabble 10

Meanings

gleek1

noungleek (countable and uncountable, plural gleeks)

plural gleeks · alternative gleak

  1. uncountableA once-popular game of cards played by three people.

    Lady Loadstone: Laugh, and keep company, at gleek or crimp. / Mistress Polish: Your ladyship says right, crimp sure will cure her.

    1640, Ben Jonson, The Magnetick Lady, or, Hvmors Reconcil'd, act 2, scene 4
  2. countableThree of the same cards held in one hand; three of a kind.

gleek2

noungleek (plural gleeks)

plural gleeks · alternative gleak

  1. A jest or scoff; trick or deception.

    Where's the Baſtards braues, and Charles his glikes: What all amort?

    1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]

    Synonyms: deception, jest, scoff, trick

  2. An enticing glance or look.

    A pretty gleek coming from Pallas' eye:

    1623 (first performance), John Fletcher, William Rowley, “The Maid in the Mill”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, →OCLC, Act II, scene ii
  3. informalA stream of saliva from a person's salivary glands.

    1989, Craig Fraser, Deidre A. Sullivan, Burnt: A Teenage Addict's Road to Recovery […] the saliva glands to shoot a spray of water out of my mouth. A "gleek" looks like the spray from an orange when it's squeezed.

verbgleek (third-person singular simple present gleeks, present participle gleeking, simple past and past participle gleeked)

present singular third person gleeks · participle present gleeking · participle past gleeked · past gleeked · alternative gleak

  1. obsoletetransitiveTo ridicule, or mock; to make sport of.

    I have seen you gleeking and / galling at this gentleman twice or thrice.

    1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]

    Synonyms: gibe, mock, scoff at, sneer at

  2. intransitiveobsoleteTo jest.

    […] that ſome honeſt neighbours will not make them friends. Nay, I can gleeke vpon occaſion.

    c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]
  3. intransitiveobsoleteTo pass time frivolously.
  4. informalTo discharge a long, thin stream of liquid (including saliva) through the teeth or from under the tongue, sometimes by pressing the tongue against the salivary glands.

    I used to be able to gleek "by accident" every now and then, but I couldn't figure out how to do it deliberately.

    2002 July 21, Sean Wilkinson, “Can you gleek?”, in rec.sport.pro-wrestling (Usenet)
    2 more examples

    i just push the tip of my tongue against the roof of my mouth and saliva squirts out in a groovy little arc. i think you'd really have to see it to know what i am talking about. but you can gleek best right after chewing big red gum.

    1999 October 18, Gem, “what can you wiggle?”, in alt.music.soulcoughing (Usenet)

    My buddy can gleek (thats what he called it too) but he used highly pressured spit forced out between two teeth with his tounge to do it.

    1999 November 15, THAT antix GUY, “the weird personal info”, in alt.rave (Usenet)

gleek3

noungleek (plural gleeks)

plural gleeks · alternative gleak

  1. slangA geek who is involved in a glee club, choir, or singing.

Gleek4

nounGleek (plural Gleeks)

plural Gleeks

  1. slanglifestyleA fan of the television show Glee.

    I'm more of a Gleek myself.

    2009 September 7, Jason Wuthrich, “Re: OT what new shows are you looking forward to seeing this fall season?”, in alt.tv.american-idol (Usenet)
    4 more examples

    Well I thought she looked quite cute, so I Googled her. I'm not yet a full on Gleek, honest!

    2010 February 3, Fred X, “Re: Glee - the woman from Pushing Daisies”, in uk.media.tv.misc (Usenet)

    are there any other Gleeks out here in viPhone land? I saw on my facebook today that there's a Glee app!! $2.99 so I grabbed it. maybe I shouldn't have seeing all the financial stress I'm currently under but I'm a Gleek in a big way!! so I couldn't resist!! I needed to check it out!!!

    2010 April 17, "Jessica and Goldina", "anyone try the Glee app?", in "VIPhone" (Google Groups group)

    Yep... I'm a "Gleek"! (I'm sure it's partially due to being in band in high school, as we usually did a medley of songs from a musical during each performance.)

    2010 April 30, Zoot, “Re: Glee-------”, in alt.x.y (Usenet)

    Fair warning: One is the beginning of a musical number that's been on every Gleek's watch-list since Spears tweeted this pic.

    2010 September 24, Kate Stanhope, “Do You Mind That Glee Can't Keep a Secret?”, in TVGuide

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA jest or scoff; trick or deception.

verbTo ridicule, or mock; to make sport of.

Similar
gibemockscoff atsneer at

Origin

gleek · noun

  1. Middle Dutchgelīc“like, alike”
  2. Middle High Germanglücke
  3. Germanic
  4. Old Frenchglic“a game of cards”
  5. Middle Frenchglic
  6. Englishgleek

From Middle French glic, from Old French glic (“a game of cards”), of Germanic origin from or related to Middle High German glücke, gelücke (“luck”) and Middle Dutch gelīc (“like, alike”). More at luck, like.

Full word history & related roots →

gleek · noun, verb

  1. Proto-Indo-European*leyg-
  2. Proto-Germanic*galaikaz“jump, play”
  3. Old Norse*gleikr
  4. North Germanic
  5. Englishgleek

Related to Etymology 1. Of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse *gleikr, leikr (“sport, play, game”), from Proto-Germanic *galaikaz (“jump, play”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyg-. Cognate with Old English ġelācan (“to play a trick on, delude”), Scots glaik (“a glance of the eye, deception, trick”, n.), Scots glaik (“to trick, trifle with”, v.). More at lake.

Full word history & related roots →

Gleek · noun

Blend of Glee and geek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish kolmoset, pila
  • kolmosetthree of the same card in a hand
  • pilajest or scoff
  • jekkujest or scoff
  • silmäysenticing glance or look
  • säkägood fortune
  • kuolainformal: stream of saliva
  • jekuttaato jest, ridicule, or mock
  • naruttaato jest, ridicule, or mock
  • kuolatato discharge a long thin stream of liquid through the teeth or from under the tongue
French brelan, brelan
  • brelangame of cards for three people
  • brelanthree of the same card in a hand
  • plaisanteriejest or scoff
  • œilladeenticing glance or look
  • aubainegood fortune
  • bonne fortunegood fortune
  • coup de potgood fortune
  • bonne affairegood fortune
  • dauberto jest, ridicule, or mock
  • se ficher deto jest, ridicule, or mock
  • se foutre deto jest, ridicule, or mock
Italian occhiata, pacchia
  • occhiataenticing glance or look
  • pacchiagood fortune
  • prendere in giroto jest, ridicule, or mock
Russian брелан, насме́шка
  • брелан (brelan)game of cards for three people
  • насме́шка (nasméška)jest or scoff
  • уда́ча (udáča)good fortune
  • насмехаться (nasmexatʹsja)to jest, ridicule, or mock
Spanish guiñada, ganga
  • guiñadaenticing glance or look
  • gangagood fortune
  • bicocagood fortune
  • pichinchagood fortune
  • burlarseto jest, ridicule, or mock
  • tomar el peloto jest, ridicule, or mock
  • huevearto jest, ridicule, or mock
Swedish triss, tretal
  • trissthree of the same card in a hand
  • tretalthree of the same card in a hand
Turkish üçlü
  • üçlügame of cards for three people

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with gleek

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

gleek. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gleek

MLA

“gleek.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gleek. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gleek,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gleek.

Source: gleek on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.