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Added 4 October 2026

take

/ˈteɪ̯k/ verb

In Latin: capiō, prehendō, sūmō Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about take at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To get into one's hands, possession, or control, with or without force.
They took Charlton's gun from his cold, dead hands.
To seize or capture.
take the guards prisoner
To catch or get possession of (fish or game).
took ten catfish in one afternoon

noun

An act of taking.
Something that is taken; a haul. Money that is taken in, (legal or illegal) proceeds, income; profits; takings.
He wants half of the take if he helps with the job.
Money that is taken in, (legal or illegal) proceeds, income; profits; takings.
He wants half of the take if he helps with the job.

Origin

From Middle English taken (“to take, lay hold of, grasp, strike”), from Old English tacan (“to grasp, touch”), probably of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse taka (“to touch, take”). Alternatively, inherited from Proto-West Germanic *takan (“to take; grasp, touch”). Both from Proto-Germanic *tēkaną (“to touch”), from pre-Germanic *deh₁g- (“to touch”), possibly a phonetically altered form of Proto-Indo-European *te-th₂g- (“to touch, take”) (see there for details). Gradually displaced native English nim, from Middle English nimen, from Old English niman (“to take”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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