steak (English)
Where does "steak" come from?
The word 'steak' traces back to the Old Norse word 'steik,' which referred to meat roasted on a stick. It entered Middle English as 'steike' before evolving into the modern term we use for thick slices of meat. Interestingly, the word's pronunciation shifted over time, marking an exception to the phonetic development seen in similar words like 'speak'.
Full etymology tree
- steak (English), 'Beefsteak: a slice of beef, broiled or cut for broiling.'
- inherited steike (Middle English)
- borrowed steik (Old Norse), 'roast'
- derived steikja (Old Norse)
- borrowed steik (Old Norse), 'roast'
- borrowed steikja (Old Norse)
- inherited steike (Middle English)
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris