Derek
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
English
Alternative forms
rare non-standard spellings (some based upon mispronunciations and mergers)
Etymology
Borrowed in the Middle Ages from a Middle Low German variant of Theodoric, and revived in the nineteenth century.[1] Not related to Hebrew דֶּרֶךְ (déreḵ, “road”).
Pronunciation
Proper noun
Derek
- A male given name from the Germanic languages.
- 1895, The American Magazine, Crowell-Collier Publishing Company, page 446:
- "Do you think so? Her husband has an odd name - Derek Keppel. He is a musician - a violinist."
- 1974, Joseph Heller, Something happened, →ISBN, page 509:
- We do not entertain as much anymore because of Derek. (He produces strain. We have to pretend he doesn't.) I used to like him when I still thought he was normal. I was fond of him. I used to call him Dirk, and Kiddo, Steamshovel, Dinky Boy, and Dicky Dare. Till I found out what he was. Now it's always formal: Derek.
- 2010, James Robertson, And the Land Lay Still, Hamish Hamilton, →ISBN, page 292:
- Frederick or Derek Boothby was in his late fifties, the son of a naval officer and a daughter of the Earl of Limerick.
- A surname.
Usage notes
Popular in the UK in mid-twentieth century.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
given name
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References
- Patrick Hanks, Flavia Hodges (2001) A Concise Dictionary of First Names, 3rd edition, Oxford University Press, →ISBN
Further reading
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