Locke
|lock|
🇺🇸
/lɑk/
🇬🇧
/lɒk/
lock / enclosure → surname/place name
Etymology
'Locke' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'loc' or 'locc', where 'loc' meant 'lock' (e.g., a fastening) or 'enclosure'.
'Locke' changed from Middle English forms such as 'lok' or 'lokke' and eventually became the modern surname 'Locke'.
Initially, it meant 'a lock (of hair), fastening, or enclosure', but over time it evolved primarily into a hereditary surname and into place names.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a surname; most notably John Locke (1632–1704), an English philosopher associated with empiricism and political liberalism.
Locke argued that the mind at birth is a tabula rasa.
Noun 2
a place name; for example, Locke, an unincorporated historic town in California founded by Chinese immigrants.
Locke, California, preserves many historic buildings from its early-20th-century founding.
Noun 3
a surname used for fictional characters (e.g., Locke Cole in video games, several characters named Locke in literature and television).
Fans of the series debated the motives of Locke throughout the season.
Last updated: 2025/11/29 19:52