Peek

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /piːk/

Definitions

1. To glance swiftly or furtively at something, often to catch a hidden or unexpected sight
2. The act of briefly viewing something, especially in a sneaky or cautious manner without full exposure
3. To steal a quick or secret look at something without being noticed

Etymology: "Peek" is a blend of two older verbs meaning much the same thing. Middle English had "pepen" (to peep) and "keken" or "kiken" (to keek, meaning to look or spy), and the two merged into "peken" or "piken," which gave us the modern word. Blends like this happen when two near-synonyms are used so often that speakers start to fuse them, and the result carries a bit of each parent's sound and sense. The word's core meaning, a quick and furtive glance, comes largely from the "peep" side of the family, which suggests a small, sly look rather than a sustained stare. The "keek" side contributed a sense of looking or spying more generally. Some scholars also suggest a possible link to an older Middle English verb "kepen," meaning to watch or observe, through a transposition of its sounds, though this connection is less certain.

Synonyms: glance, glimpse, sneak

Antonyms: stare, gaze