Now only Sc. or north. dial. Forms: 3–6 beke, 5–6 beyke, 6 Sc. beik, 6–7 beak, 6– beek. [Chiefly northern: of uncertain origin. The analogy in form and sense of bake, beek, to bathe, beathe, suggests possible connection with bake. An OTeut. *bôkian f. bôk, pa. t. of bakan would have given an OE. *bóecen, bécen, and ME. beke, beek; but no trace of the older forms is found. Another suggestion would refer beke to the stem of bæwen to foment (in Ormin) with suffixal k: cf., in same sense, dial. G. bächeln, bächern, which Grimm refers to bähen to foment.]

1

  1.  trans. and refl. To suffuse with genial warmth; to expose (oneself, one’s limbs, etc.) to the pleasurable warmth of sun, fire, etc.

2

c. 1230.  [see BEEKING ppl. a.]

3

1375.  Barbour, Bruce, XIX. 552. Ane ynglish man, that lay bekand Hym by a fyre.

4

c. 1400.  Bone Flor., 99. A gode fyre … To beyke hys boones by.

5

1553.  Brende, Q. Curtius, II. 11. Diogenes … was beking of himself in ye sunne.

6

1627.  H. Burton, Baiting of Pope’s Bull, 26. The foolish fish, which beaking hir selfe neere the banke, suffereth the fisher to tickle … her.

7

a. 1774.  Fergusson, Cauler Oysters, Poems (1845), 8. How aften at that ingle cheek Did I my frosty fingers beek. (In modern Scotch.)

8

  b.  To season (wood) by exposure to heat.

9

1483.  Cath. Angl., 26. To beke wandes, explorare.

10

1523.  Fitzherb., Husb., § 24. A good husbande hath his forkes and rakes made redye in the wynter before … and beyked … and than they wyll be harde, styffe and drye.

11

1641.  Best, Farm. Bks. (1856), 122. After that we have cutte our wilfes and saughs … wee sette our foreman and another to beakinge of them.

12

  2.  intr. To expose oneself to, or disport in, pleasurable warmth; to bask.

13

c. 1400.  Ywaine & Gaw., 1459. That Knyght es nothing to set by That … ligges bekeand in his bed.

14

a. 1568[?].  Wife Auchterm., in Bannatyne Poems, 215 (Jam.). He saw the wif … sittand at ane fyre, beikand bawld.

15

1730.  Ramsay, Gent. Sheph., Wks. II. 95. She and her cat sit beeking in her yard.

16

a. 1801.  Macneill, Poet. Wks. (1844), 54. To sport on fancy’s flowery brink, And beek a wee in love’s warm blink.

17