the.com/duke
A title so high you outrank everyone but the crown that fears you.
means A duke is a male noble of the highest rank below a monarch, often ruling a duchy or territory.
from From Latin 'dux,' meaning 'leader' or 'commander' — the same root that gave us 'duct' (something that leads water along) and the Italian 'duce.' The word traveled through Old French 'duc' into English. The slang 'dukes' for fists ('put up your dukes') is murkier: the popular tale ties it to Cockney rhyming slang ('Duke of York' for 'fork,' meaning hand), but that link is uncertain and best treated as folk lore.
- top rank
- Highest noble rank below sovereign in many lands
- fist slang
- Put up your dukes means raise your fists
- latin root
- From dux, meaning military leader
- jazz royalty
- Duke Ellington crowned himself with the title
- few left
- Britain has only around two dozen dukes
duke of wellington — arthur wellesley, british military commander who defeated napoleon at waterloo in 1815
duke university — private research university in durham, north carolina, founded 1838
duke of sussex — prince harry, british royal who holds this title since 2018