I've been wondering about the word 'luke'
It apparently comes from Middle English (leu?) and/or Old English (hleow) and means mildly warm.
So where does this leave 'lukewarm'? Isn't that just 'warm' twofold? That's some exceptionally warm water!
The etymology confuses me as well, because in German it's very similar: 'lauwarm'.
Any ideas (or an OED ID)!


btw. I ran this through the site search and came up with a mere one use of lukewarm (but a good one)....
Jackie:
tepidemic -- lukewarm disease

Interesting, belligerent. Especially since, around here, the term "lukecool" is used, albeit tongue-in-cheek.

Good heavens, how can a disease be lukewarm??

I'm afraid, though, that an attempt to replace the use of lukewarm with luke would meet with only a tepid response.

>>Good heavens, how can a disease be lukewarm??

but jackie, tepidemic is a direct quote from *your post -- you're going to have to pay more attention to what you're quoting! I've never seen 'luke' used alone (except as a name) -- it must be an obsolete form (but I'll look it up when I have the chance). come to think of it, the name itself isn't currently popular, is it?

p.s. - W3 says luke is archaic, but gives no hint as to why it was dropped in favor of lukewarm.

The users must have been lukewarm about luke.

...from the OED

1. [adj] obs. exc. dial. lukewarm
all the citations are from the 13th through 15th c's; with one exception (which leads to the dialectal tag I guess)

1837 Dickens Pickw. xxxiii, Let me have nine penn'orth o' brandy and water luke.

"Notwithstanding the resemblance in form and meaning, it seems impossible to connect the word etymologically with mod.Du. leuk (lukewarm)"

2. [n] 19th c. slang nothing

Thanks for the info
OED included the meaning 'light; white .. etc' (as in the name 'Luke') as well didn't it?

> ...Let me have nine penn'orth o' brandy and water luke.
I like this use! Just a couple of hundred years too late hey.

And the etymology? That will remain opaquely clouded right.

opaquely clouded...

You're getting warm! But tide and time wait for no man...