Chiefly (now only) Sc. and north. Forms: 2–5 steken, (2 Ormin stekenn), 4–5 stekye, 4–7 steke, (5 stek), 5–9 Sc. steik, (6 steike), 8–9 north. steck; Sc. and north. 6–9 steak, 7, 9 steick, 7– steek; Pa. t. 3, 5 stake, 4 stac, 5 stak, 4–5 stoke; 5 steked, 7 steek’t, 9 north. steak’d; Sc. 4 stekyte, stekit, -yt, steikit, 7 steeked, 9 stieket, steekit; Pa. pple. 3–4 isteke, 4–5 y-steke, steke, 5 Sc. stek, 3–6 stoken, (4 stokin), 5 stokyn, (4 Sc. stekine), 4–5 i-stoke, y-stoke, stoke; 4–5 ystekyd, (4 isteked, 5 stekid, steked); Sc. 4 stokyt, 4, 6 stekit, 6 steikket, steikit, steiked, 8–9 steekit, 9 steeked. [Early ME. steken str. vb., prob. repr. an unrecorded OE. *stecan (*stæc, *stǽcon, *stecen). This can hardly be anything else than a developed use of the formally identical verb *stecan to thrust, stab, prick, pierce (see next), but the manner of evolution of the sense ‘to shut’ is not clear; possibly it may have arisen from the notion of fastening with a pin or bolt. Cf. ME. BISTEKE v.; Sweet gives an OE. bestecan ‘close, bar (door),’ which we are unable to verify.]
1. trans. To shut up, enclose, imprison (a person in a place); also with up. Also refl.
c. 1200. Ormin, 8087. & he toc iwhillc hæfedd mann … & let hemm stekenn inn an hus, & haldenn swiþe fasste.
a. 1350. Child. Jesu, 257. Þe false ymages bi gunne to breke þat þe feondes weren inne i steke.
13[?]. K. Alis., 1132. Ac yet heo is in prison stoke.
a. 1400. Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS., xxiii. 111. Crist … Called us fro deþ þer we weore stoke.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 13844. Telamocus he toke,… Stake hym in a stith house.
1412. 26 Pol. Poems, xi. 5. Oure enemys … Þat hadde vs in cheynes stoken.
c. 1450. Lovelich, Grail, I. 202. In strong presoun they scholen ben stoke.
1816. Scott, Antiq., xxxvii. If they steek me up here, my friends are like eneugh to forget me.
b. To enclose, shut up (a thing in a place).
c. 1330. Assump. Virg., 848 (Add. MS.). That floure was manna yclepid; Hit was in þe tumbe ystekyd.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 1524. Goddes … Þat were of stokkes & stones … Neuer steuen hem astel, so stoken is hor tonge.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, Prol. 11. Sothe stories ben stoken vp, & straught out of mynde.
1401. 26 Pol. Poems, iii. 93. In euyl soule no grace is stoken, ffor wikked soule is graceles. Ibid. (c. 1421), xxiii. 65. While obley in yrnes, or boyst ys stoken, Hit nys but bred.
1837. R. Nicoll, Poems (1843), 144. An’ ahint the door o’ cauld disdain My heart I canna’ steek.
† c. ? To keep back (the truth). Obs.
c. 1400. Cato’s Morals, 17, in Cursor M., App. iv. 1669. Fainteli for to speke, and þe soþ for to steke, is falsid and blame.
d. To shut out, exclude (a person or thing); to shut (a person) out (of doors).
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, ii. (Paulus), 900. Gregor sais … Þat nothir stekis fra godis mercy Of þe fel syne þe quantite Na ȝet þe gret ennormyte.
1390. Gower, Conf., II. 21. That what as evere I [Forgetfulness] thoghte have spoken, It is out fro myn herte stoken.
1402. Pol. Poems (Rolls), II. 97. Crist … hadde noon harborow, to resten in his owne heed, and steken out the stormes.
c. 1412. Hoccleve, De Reg. Princ., 3469. And wratthe & irous tene Out of þe herte for to spere and steke.
1595. Duncan, App. Etym. (E. D. S.), Discludo, secludo, to steike out. Ibid., Excludo, to steik out, to cleck. Ibid., Secludo, to steak out.
1792. A. Wilson, Watty & Meg, 183. That ye’ll Never out at e’ening steek me.
1816. Scott, Antiquary, xxxii. What for are ye steeking them out?—let them come in.
2. To shut up (a place), to close securely, to lock up.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 50. Lokeð ꝥ te parlurs beon euer ueste … & eke wel istekene.
1390. Gower, Conf., III. 314. This Cofre … thei finde faste stoke, Bot thei with craft it have unloke.
c. 1440. York Myst., xxxvii. 193. Þis steede [Hell] schall stonde no lenger stoken, Opynne vppe and latte my pepul passe.
1561. Maitl. Club Misc., III. 289. Papisticall jurisdictione abolesched furth of ye same ye consistorie hows dischergit and stekyt vp.
1563. Reason. betw. Crosraguel & Knox, A iii b. Wo be vnto you Scribes and Pharises … for ye steak the kingdome of heauen before men:… suche as wold enter ye suffer not.
1597. Skene’s Acts Parl. Scot., Table s.v. Tavernes, Tavernes suld be steiked at nine houres, and na person suld be found therein.
fig. a. 1500. Lancelot, 316. This process (now) mot closine ben and stek; And furth I wil one to my mater go.
3. To shut, fasten (a door, window, etc.). Also † with to, up advs.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 62. Ase men wolden steken veste euerich þurl … þat heo muhten bisteken deað þer vte.
c. 1290. Becket, 689, in S. Eng. Leg., 126. In þe Eueninge he bad is knaue to steken þe dore faste.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 341. Summe … vndurstonden bodily keyȝes, by whiche heuen ȝates shulden be openid and stokune.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), I. 65. Martianus seiþ þat þe ȝates of Caspij beeþ i-steke wiþ yren barres.
c. 1425. Seven Sag. (P.), 1352. He ros … And stoke to the dore anoone.
c. 1440. Gesta Rom., xlix. 220. Afterward the knyȝt come home, & he fonde the yate of his castell stoken.
1523–34. Fitzherb., Husb., § 40. And whan the shepe are in the greate folde,… steke the gate.
1582. Reg. Privy Council Scot., III. 470. The provest and baillies … hes steikit up thair buith durris.
1728. Ramsay, Monk & Miller’s Wife, 57. He knock’d, for Doors were steekit.
1816. Scott, Bl. Dwarf, ix. Will ye gie me your word … that I am free to come and free to gae, with five minutes to open the grate, and five minutes to steek it and to draw the bolts?
1828. Carr, Craven Gloss., s.v., Steck the door and come in.
1879. G. Macdonald, Sir Gibbie, xxxiii. And gien ’t war a fine simmer nicht ’at a body cud lie thereoot … I wad steek the door i’ yer face.
b. To close, stop up (a hole, way, etc.).
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 439. Þen he stac vp þe stangez, stoped þe wellez.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, XIX. 687. We ar the fox & thai the fischer That stekis forouth ws the way.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 5189. Ac þys lordes … habbeþ … þat hole aȝayn y-stoken.
a. 1774. R. Fergusson, King’s Birthday. The Muse maun also now implore Auld wives to steek ilk hole and bore.
c. intr. of a door, also rarely of a book.
14[?]. Burgh Lawis, xxvi. in Anc. Laws Scot. (Burgh Rec. Soc.), 14. He sall suere at he wate neuer whare the dure opynnis na stekis of hym fra wham he bocht that ilke forsayde thyng.
1683. G. Meriton, Yorksh. Dial., 51. Ile Swear ’t upon all Beauks, that opens and steeks.
1737. Ramsay, Sc. Prov. (1750), 109. When ae door steeks anither opens.
4. trans. To shut (the mouth, eyes, ears, heart). To steek one’s gab: see GAB sb.3
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 11224. But leuer ys me my mouþe to steke Þan y spak oȝt oute of skorne.
a. 1400. Relig. Pieces fr. Thornton MS., 51. Steke thyn eghne fro fowle syghtes, thyn heres fro foule herynges, thy mouthe fro foule speche.
1421. 26 Pol. Poems, xviii. 130. Fro wordis of vanyte, ȝoure lippes steke.
a. 1500. Lancelot, 1651. For qwho his eris frome the puple stekith,… His dom sall be ful grewous.
16[?]. Gude & Godlie Ball. (S.T.S.), 238. Thow steik thy Ene fra warldis vanitie.
1723. Ramsay, Fair Assembly, xiv. These lips she ne’er should steek.
1786. Burns, Earnest Cry & Prayer, xxx. Sages their solemn een may steek.
1818. Scott, Rob Roy, xxix. I redd ye keep your mouth better steekit, if ye hope to speed.
1893. Stevenson, Catriona, xv. The hand of him aye cawed the shuttle, but his een was steeked.
5. absol. To close a place, lock a door.
a. 1400. Relig. Pieces fr. Thornton MS., 51. It es callede ‘cloyster’ for it closys and steskys [? read stekys], and warely sall be lokkede.
c. 1400. Apol. Loll. (Camden), 34. No man is worþi … noiþer to lowse þat he byndiþ, ne to bynd þat he lowsiþ, befor þat he ȝeuiþ þe key, and kenniþ to opun and to steyke.
a. 1500. Ratis Raving, I. 466. Wertews … That beris the ȝettis of thi resone Tyll opin and stek with discreccione.
Hence Steeked, Steeking ppl. adjs.
1710. Ruddiman, Gloss. Douglas’ Æneis, s.v. Steik, As we say Scot… a steeked neive.
1732. J. Louthian, Process Crt. Justiciary Scot. (1752), 137. And also, that ye make steiked and lock-fast Gates … open.
1790. J. Fisher, Poems, 68. Then cam’ he to a steeking slap, Fu cannily he shot it back.
1897. N. Munro, John Splendid, i. The burghers of Inneraora … slept, stark and sound, behind their steeked shutters.
