What is "duke"

duke \duke\ (d[=u]k) v. t. To beat with the fists. [slang]

to duke it out to fight; -- usually implying, to fight with the fists; to settle a dispute by fighting with the fists. See duke, n. sense 4.

early 12c., "sovereign prince," from Old French duc (12c.) and directly from Latin dux (genitive ducis) "leader, commander," in Late Latin "governor of a province," from ducere "to lead," from PIE *deuk- "to lead" (cognates: Old English togian "to pull, drag," Old High German ziohan "to pull," Old English togian "to draw, drag," Middle Welsh dygaf "I draw").\n

\nApplied in English to "nobleman of the highest rank" probably first mid-14c., ousting native earl. Also used to translate various European titles (such as Russian knyaz).

n. 1 The male ruler of a duchy (female equivalent: (m en duchess)). 2 The sovereign of a small state. 3 A high title of nobility; the male holder of a dukedom. 4 A grand duke. 5 (context slang usually in plural English) A fist. vb. (context transitive English) To hit or beat with the fists.

1. n. a British peer of the highest rank

2. a nobleman (in various countries) of high rank

A duke (male) ( British English: or American English: ) or duchess (female) can either be a monarch ruling over a duchy or a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch. The title comes from French duc, itself from the Latin dux, 'leader', a term used in republican Rome to refer to a military commander without an official rank (particularly one of Germanic or Celtic origin), and later coming to mean the leading military commander of a province.

During the Middle Ages the title (as Herzog) signified first among the Germanic monarchies. Dukes were the rulers of the provinces and the superiors of the counts in the cities and later, in the feudal monarchies, the highest-ranking peers of the king. A duke may or may not be, ipso facto, a member of the nation's peerage: in the United Kingdom and Spain all dukes are/were also peers of the realm, in France some were and some were not, while the term is not applicable to dukedoms of other nations, even where an institution similar to the peerage (e.g., Grandeeship, Imperial Diet, Hungarian House of Magnates) existed.

During the 19th century many of the smaller German and Italian states were ruled by Dukes or Grand Dukes. But at present, with the exception of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, there are no dukes ruling as monarchs. Duke remains the highest hereditary title (aside from titles borne by the reigning or formerly reigning dynasty) in Portugal (though now a republic), Spain, and the United Kingdom. In Sweden, members of the Royal Family are given a personal dukedom at birth. The Pope, as a temporal sovereign, has also, though rarely, granted the title of Duke or Duchess to persons for services to the Holy See. In some realms the relative status of "duke" and "prince", as titles borne by the nobility rather than by members of reigning dynasties, varied—e.g., in Italy and the Netherlands.

A woman who holds in her own right the title to such duchy or dukedom, or is the wife of a duke, is normally styled duchess. Queen Elizabeth II, however, is known by tradition as Duke of Normandy in the Channel Islands and Duke of Lancaster in Lancashire.

A Duke or Grand Duke is a title of nobility for aristocrats of very high rank.

Duke, Dukes, The Duke or The Dukes may also refer to:

Duke (born Mark Carson Adams) is a British singer, songwriter and producer.

He had two Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart: his deep house version of "So In Love With You," which was his biggest hit, reaching #1 in 1997, and his follow-up "Greater," which peaked at #9 in 1998.

Duke is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books, and cartoon series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's First Sergeant, and debuted in 1983. The character is also featured in both the G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 animated series and comic books. Channing Tatum portrays Duke in the 2009 live-action film, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, and the 2013 sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation.

Duke is a surname meaning 'the leader' or 'son of Marmaduke'. It is the 856th most common surname in the United States.

Among the Lombards, the duke or dux was the man who acted as political and military commander of a set of "military families" (the Fara), irrespective of any territorial appropriation.

Duke (first name and details of birth and death unknown) was an English cricketer with possibly professional status who was active in 1831. He made his first-class debut in 1831 and appeared in one match as an unknown handedness batsman whose bowling style is unknown, playing for Cambridge Town Club (CTC). He scored four runs with a highest score of 4 and took no wickets.

Duke is the tenth studio album by English rock band Genesis, released in March 1980 on Charisma Records. It was the first album by the group to reach No. 1 in the UK charts and featured the singles " Turn It On Again", " Duchess", and " Misunderstanding".

The album followed a period of inactivity for the band in early 1979. Phil Collins moved to Vancouver, Canada, in an effort to salvage his failing first marriage, while Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford recorded solo albums. Collins returned to the UK after his marriage ended and wrote a significant amount of material, some of which was used for Duke and some was later reworked for his first solo album, Face Value. Duke contained a mix of individually-written songs and tracks that evolved from jam sessions in mid-1979, while recording took place at the end of the year.

The break in activity rejuvenated the band, and they found the album an easy one to work on. The album contained the first use of a drum machine by Genesis on "Duchess", and as well as the hit singles included more experimental pieces such as the closing ten-minute "Duke's Travels"/"Duke's End" suite. The album has since been certified Platinum in both the UK and U.S.

Duke or The Duke is a nickname for:

• Duke Aiona (born 1955), American politician
• Duke Brett (1900-1974), American Major League Baseball pitcher (1924-1925) and minor league manager
• Duke Carmel (born 1937), American former Major League Baseball player
• Duke Cunningham (born 1941), American former US Navy fighter pilot and disgraced politician
• George Deukmejian (born 1928), former Governor of California
• David Dickinson (born 1941), British antiques expert and television presenter
• Michael Dukakis (born 1933), former Governor of Massachusetts and Democratic Presidential nominee
• Duke Ellington (1899-1974), American jazz composer, pianist and bandleader
• Nathan Ellington (born 1981), English footballer nicknamed "The Duke" after the jazz bandleader
• Duke Erikson (born 1951), American songwriter, producer, musician and co-founder of the alternative rock band Garbage
• Duke Esper (1868-1910), American Major League Baseball pitcher
• Abdul "Duke" Fakir (born 1935), American singer, last surviving original member of the Four Tops
• Duke Farrell (1866-1925), American Major League Baseball catcher
• Dušan Fabian (born 1975), Slovak author
• Duke Harris (born 1942), Canadian former hockey player
• Robert P. Hedman, American pilot, Flying Tigers "ace in a day" (Christmas Day 1941)
• Marmaduke Hussey, Baron Hussey of North Bradley (1923-2006), former Chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC
• Duke Iversen (1920-2011), American football player
• Duke Jordan (1922-2006), American jazz pianist
• Duke Keats (1895-1972), Canadian hockey player in the National Hockey League and other leagues
• Wellington Mara (1916–2005), American National Football League executive and co-owner of the New York Giants
• Duke Nalon (1913-2001), American race car driver
• Duke Reid (1915–1975), Jamaican record producer, DJ and label owner
• Duke Robillard (born 1948), American blues musician
• Duke Roufus (born 1970), American former kickboxer and coach
• Duke Sims (born 1941), American retired Major League Baseball catcher
• Duke Slater (1898-1966), African-American college and professional football player, member of the College Football Hall of Fame
• Duke Snider (1926–2011), American Hall of Fame Major League Baseball player
• John Wayne (1907–1979), American actor

Duke is a New Zealand television channel run by state broadcaster Television New Zealand. It screens programming targeted at a male audience.

Its programming includes comedy, drama, documentaries, movies and sport. It operates between the hours of 6pm and midnight and occasionally screens live sport events outside of these hours.

The channel is available on Freeview channel 13 and channel 23 on Sky. Some programming is also available on TVNZ OnDemand.

1. Redirect List of Tracy Beaker series characters#Duke

Duke was a short-lived men's magazine formed by ex-employees of the Johnson Publishing Company. It is notable as an early attempt at an upscale adult periodical for African-American audiences.
It was primarily a black and white publication, although the cover and centerfold were color printed.

Like many of its contemporaries, the magazine was heavily inspired by the runaway success of Playboy magazine, although it featured no outright nudity and remained very tame all around. It was based in Chicago, both Playboy's hometown and a hub for African-American intellectuals of that era.

The magazine's centerfold models were called Duchess of the Month. The first Duchess was Eleanor Crews, who had earlier appeared as the October girl in the 1957 pin-up calendar included with the New Year issue of Jet.

The magazine's publisher and main author was Benjamin Burns, who had previously worked on a men's magazine named Modern Man and been prosecuted for obscenity on that occasion. While Modern Man was not an ethnic publication, and Burns was a white jew, he was well acquainted with the black press, having held high ranking positions at the Chicago Defender, Ebony and its sister publication Jet.

The editor and face of the magazine was journalist and musician Dan Burley, although it has been argued that he was largely a figurehead hired to lend black credibility to the magazine, while Burns (who did not appear on the masthead) was the main man.

The magazine lasted just 6 issues. It is unrelated to the later Duke that was published between 1967 and 1978, and primarily featured Caucasian models.