Cooken

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. An obsolete plural form of the word cook, referring to several people who prepare food for others
2. A dated plural of cook, used in older English to mean more than one person who prepares meals
3. An archaic form meaning multiple kitchen workers or preparers of food, now replaced by the standard plural cooks

Etymology: "Cooken" is a plural form of "cook," and it survives mainly in older or dialect English, where the plural was formed with the Middle English "-en" ending, the same ending that gives "oxen," "children," and "brethren." Its base, "cook," is an Old English word, and the "-en" was added to it to mark the plural. The "-en" ending was once a common way of making plurals, but it shrank over the centuries until only a few nouns kept it. Most English plurals instead use "-s," which is why "cooks" is standard today, while "cooken" now sounds archaic or regional.

Synonyms: prepare, make