Brooke

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. An archaic spelling for a small natural stream of running water ; a given name or family surname borne by various people
2. A variant form of brook meaning a narrow watercourse ; a personal name or surname used for people, such as James Brooke
3. An old spelling denoting a little river or creek flowing over land ; a first name or family name found among English-speaking people

Etymology: Older English spelled both of this word's senses "brooke," and the spelling hides two unrelated words. The verb comes from Middle English "brouken," from Old English "brūcan," meaning to enjoy, use, or possess. It is related to modern German "brauchen" ("to need") and Dutch "bruiken" ("to use"). Its familiar sense of putting up with something developed from negative phrases, where "not to brook" something meant not to tolerate it. The noun is a separate word. It comes from Old English "brōc," meaning a stream or torrent, which traces back to a Proto-West Germanic form "*brōk." The verb and the noun share no ancestor, so their identical spelling is an accident of how their Old English forms happened to be written.

Synonyms: brook, stream, rivulet, creek, beck