suffix, shortened form of WIKE (OE. wíce) office, function of an official, as in BAILIFFWICK, BAILIWICK, SHERIFFWICK. A secondary sense of ‘jurisdiction of the official,’ passing into ‘district over which the official’s jurisdiction extends,’ is found with some words containing this suffix, the development of the latter sense being no doubt furthered by the sense ‘district’ of WICK sb.2 An example of a compound in occasional or local use is † warden-wick:—
1499. Pilton Churchw. Acc. (Somerset Rec. Soc.), 67. Yn hys yer of ye wardeyn wyke.
In Herdwick (first in Domesday Book), -wick appears to be WICK sb.2
