Word: take Part of Speech: noun Etymology: 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”), 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”). Cognates Cognate with Scots tak (“to take”), Icelandic and Norwegian Nynorsk taka (“to take”), Norwegian Bokmål ta (“to take”), Swedish ta (“to take”), Danish tage (“to take, seize”), West Frisian take, taakje (“to grab, steal”), 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”). Pronunciation: /ˈteɪ̯k/, [ˈtʰeɪ̯k], /ˈteːk/, [ˈtʰeːk], /ˈtæɪ̯k/ 1. The or an act of taking. Example: 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. Example: 'I saw you in Norfolk doing twenty-odd takes with that fisherman chap and it looked perfect in the rushes.' 2. Something that is taken; a haul. Example: 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. Example: He wants half of the take if he helps with the job. 3. Something that is taken; a haul. 4. An interpretation or view, opinion or assessment; perspective; a statement expressing such a position. Example: What's your take on this issue, Fred? Example: Another unsolicited maths take: talking about quotients in terms of "equivalence classes" or cosets is really unnatural. 5. An approach, a (distinct) treatment. Example: a new take on a traditional dish Example: Whatever the provenance, the result is a delightfully novel take on a stalwart, often deadening Victorian feature. 6. A scene recorded (filmed) at one time, without an interruption or break; a recording of such a scene. Example: It's a take. Example: Act seven, scene three, take two. 7. A recording of a musical performance made during an uninterrupted single recording period. 8. A visible (facial) response to something, especially something unexpected; a facial gesture in response to an event. Example: did a double take and then a triple take Example: I did a take when I saw the new car in the driveway. 9. An instance of successful inoculation/vaccination. 10. A catch of the ball (in cricket, especially one by the wicket-keeper). 11. The quantity of copy given to a compositor at one time. Example: 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.