take
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: tāk
ipa: /teɪk/
ipa: [tʰeɪk]
ipa: [tʰæɪk]
ipa: [t(ʰ)eːk]
ipa: [tʰɛjk]
ipa: /tɛk/
ipa: /tæk/
rhymes: -eɪk
Forms: form: takes
form: tek
Etymology: From Middle English taken (“to take, lay hold of, grasp, strike”), from Old English tacan (“to grasp, touch”), of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse taka (“to touch, take”), 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 Middle English nimen (“to take”; see nim), from Old English niman (“to take”).
Cognates
Scots tak, Icelandic and Norwegian Nynorsk taka (“to take”), Norwegian Bokmål ta (“to take”), Swedish ta (“to take”), Danish tage (“to take, seize”), Middle Dutch taken (“to grasp”), Dutch taken (“to take; grasp”), Middle Low German tacken (“to grasp”). English thack may be from the same root. Compare tackle. Despite superficial similarity, unrelated to Proto-Indo-European *tek- (“to take by hand, obtain”), which is instead cognate with English thig (“to beg”).
Senses: examples: text: The 1994 Amendments address the incidental take of marine mammals in the course of commercial fishing, not the direct lethal take of pinnipeds for management purposes.
ref: 1999, Report to Congress: Impacts of California Sea Lions and Pacific Harbor Seals on Salmonids and West Coast Ecosystems, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, page 32:
text: 'I saw you in Norfolk doing twenty-odd takes with that fisherman chap and it looked perfect in the rushes.'
ref: 2009, Lissa Evans, Their Finest Hour and a Half, London […]: Doubleday, →ISBN, page 321:
glosses: The or an act of taking.
examples: text: Why would anyone go along with such things? Money is still the main answer: Almost all prominent climate deniers are on the fossil-fuel take.
ref: 2018 November 26, Paul Krugman, “The Depravity of Climate-Change Denial”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 17 May 2023:
text: He wants half of the take if he helps with the job.
text: The mayor is on the take.
glosses: Something that is taken; a haul.
Money that is taken in, (legal or illegal) proceeds, income; (in particular) profits; takings.
glosses: Something that is taken; a haul.
The or a quantity of fish, game animals or pelts, etc which have been taken at one time; catch.
examples: text: What's your take on this issue, Fred?
text: Another unsolicited maths take: talking about quotients in terms of "equivalence classes" or cosets is really unnatural.
text: Should you crave a fix of my take on tech culture, get the urge to build a 3-D home cinema or want the skivvy on the latest internet memes or robo-romances, you can keep a close eye on me via Twitter or drop me a line at my new digs.
ref: 2008 November 19, Jenna Wortham, “So Long, and Thanks for All the Tips!”, in Wired, San Francisco, Calif.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 06 Jun 2023:
text: I wrote Thursday morning that the Washington Post had printed a column that qualified as the worst take on the debate over whether Gina Haspel, who supported the torture of "War on Terror" detainees, should become CIA director. I was very wrong. This is the worst take:
ref: 2018 May 10, Ben Mathis-Lilley, “Fox News Military Analyst Says John McCain Broke Under Torture and Gave Secrets to North Vietnamese”, in Slate, archived from the original on 28 Nov 2022:
text: Another of the victims, Michael Brown, was an aspiring rapper himself and a Lamar fan. Though Kendrick's controversial take on Brown's death is somewhat glossed over, the book is constantly putting into context how the rapper's art is a product of the same trauma and working in service to the Black communities that experienced that trauma.
ref: 2020 October 26, Sheldon Pearce, “Kendrick Lamar and the Mantle of Black Genius”, in The New Yorker, New York, N.Y.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 04 Aug 2023:
text: We turned to the experts to get their takes on whether you truly need a dining table in a small home. For some designers, having one is nonnegotiable; others have found ways around it. Read on to see what works best for you.
ref: 2022 September 14, Sarah Lyon, “In a small space, do you really need a dining table?”, in The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 15 Sep 2022:
glosses: An interpretation or view, opinion or assessment; perspective; a statement expressing such a position.
examples: text: a new take on a traditional dish
text: Whatever the provenance, the result is a delightfully novel take on a stalwart, often deadening Victorian feature.
ref: 2009, Tim Richardson, Great Gardens of America, London: Frances Lincoln Limited, →ISBN, page 87:
text: The League of Gentlemen was all set in one town; The Fast Show did what it said on the tin, the sketches came thick and fast; Goodness Gracious Me was a brilliant take on British Asian culture.
ref: 2012, David Walliams, Camp David: The Autobiography, London: Penguin Books, published 2013, →ISBN, page 288:
text: As part of her acceptance speech for the Billboard Icon Award during the show, Dion showed off her well-honed Las Vegas showmanship during her take on the Queen classic and statement of endurance.
ref: 2016 May 23, Brittany Spanos, “Celine Dion Delivers Powerful Queen Cover at Billboard Music Awards”, in Rolling Stone, New York, N.Y.: Penske Media Corporation, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 Mar 2023:
glosses: An approach, a (distinct) treatment.
examples: text: It's a take.
text: Act seven, scene three, take two.
topics: broadcasting
film
media
television
glosses: A scene recorded (filmed) at one time, without an interruption or break; a recording of such a scene.
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: A recording of a musical performance made during an uninterrupted single recording period.
examples: text: did a double take and then a triple take
text: I did a take when I saw the new car in the driveway.
text: "When our client mentioned Dr. Chesterton, you did a take that was perceptible to one with my trained eye. Know the gent, amigo?"
ref: 1991, William Shatner, [Ron Goulart], TekLords, New York, N.Y.: G. P. Putnam's Sons, →ISBN, page 48:
text: Biddy did a 'take' and stared at Mandy speechless for a moment—then she fled back to the kitchen.
ref: 2007, Laura McBride, Catch a Falling Starr: A Novel, New York, N.Y. […]: iUniverse, Inc., →ISBN, page 138:
text: He's a stone-cold snake, Nick, but he's our stone—cold snake. Keep tugging on hanging threads and one day your pants will fall off." ¶ Nick did a take, grinning in spite of his miserable mood. "How, exactly, would that work?" ¶ Mavis shrugged, grinned right back at him.
ref: 2013, Carsten Stroud, The Homecoming, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, →ISBN, page 301:
glosses: A visible (facial) response to something, especially something unexpected; a facial gesture in response to an event.
topics: medicine
sciences
glosses: An instance of successful inoculation/vaccination.
topics: ball-games
cricket
games
hobbies
lifestyle
rugby
sports
glosses: A catch of the ball (in cricket, especially one by the wicket-keeper).
examples: text: When the copy arrives, it is taken in hand by the printer, who first of all divides it into "takes" or short portions, distributing these among the various compositors. A take usually consists of a little more than a stickful of matter, but it varies sometimes, for if a new paragraph occurs it is not overlooked. These takes are carefully numbered, and a list is kept of the compositors who take the several pieces.
ref: 1884, John Southward, chapter XXI, in Practical Printing: A Handbook of the Art of Typography, second edition, London: J. M. Powell & Son, page 197:
topics: media
printing
publishing
glosses: The quantity of copy given to a compositor at one time.
Derived terms: double-take
double take
give and take
hot take
land-take
mickey-take
on the take
piss-take
take-or-pay
take two
wild take
Related terms: intake
outtake
spit take
taking
uptake