Meanings
plural sokens
- The ancient right (usually conferred by royalty) to hold a local court of justice and levy specific fees and fines.
- countablehistoricaluncountableThe 'resort' (right) of specific farmers to have their grain ground at a specific mill or, inversely, the right of a mill to that custom.
- countablehistoricaluncountableA right of prosecution and judgement.
- countableobsoleteuncountableA place that is regularly frequented.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe area over which this right was established.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*seh₂g-
- Proto-Germanic*sōkniz“seeking, inquiry”
- Proto-West Germanic*sōkni
- Old Englishsōcn“jurisdiction, prosecution, soke”
- Middle Englishsookne
- Englishsoken
From Middle English sookne, socne (“district held by a socage”), from Old English sōcn (“jurisdiction, prosecution, soke”, literally “act of seeking”), from Proto-West Germanic *sōkni, from Proto-Germanic *sōkniz (“seeking, inquiry”), from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂g-. Akin to Gothic 𐍃𐍉𐌺𐌽𐍃 (sōkns, “controversy”), Old English sacu (“legal case, dispute”), sēcan (“to seek”), Swedish socken (“parish”), Danish sogn (“parish”), Norwegian sokn (“parish”). More at sake, seek, soke. See also Medieval Latin sōca (“right of jurisdiction”), English soke.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
soken. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soken
“soken.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soken. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “soken,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/soken.
Source: soken on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.