Word
stoke
US/ˈstoʊk/
UK/stˈəʊk/
Definitions
01to feed a fire
v. to add coal or wood to a fire or furnace so that it stays hot.
v. to feed or stir up a fire or furnace by adding fuel. Transitive when referring to the fire itself; intransitive when referring to the act of working as a stoker.
“The worker had to stoke the furnace every hour to keep the factory warm.”
“Throughout the night, the engineer continued to stoke the boiler, ensuring the steam pressure remained high enough for the ship to maintain its speed.”
Antonyms
02to encourage an emotion
v. to make a feeling, like anger or excitement, much stronger.
v. to incite or encourage a specific behaviour or emotion, often in a public or political context.
“The politician's speech was designed to stoke fears about the economy.”
“The controversial article served only to stoke the fires of public resentment, leading to widespread protests across the capital.”
Formal
03to poke or thrust
v. to poke or push something sharply.
v. to poke, pierce, or thrust. This sense is largely restricted to historical contexts or specific dialects.
“The knight used his spear to stoke at the shield of his opponent.”
“In the ancient manuscript, the author describes how the hunters would stoke the beast with sharpened poles to drive it toward the trap.”
Archaic
Real-World Examples
“The US-Iran war and resulting higher global oil and gas prices are stoking the inflation fears.” “Unlike his political opponents, Sánchez has been careful to avoid blaming Morocco for stoking the surge of migrants.” Etymology
From Middle English stoken, from Middle Dutch stoken (“to poke, thrust”) or Middle Low German stoken (“to poke, thrust”), from Old Dutch stokon or Old Saxon stokon, both from Proto-West Germanic stokōn, from Proto-Germanic stukōną (“to be stiff, push”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewg- (“to push, beat”). Cognate with Middle High German stoken (“to pierce, jab”), Norwegian Nynorsk stauka (“to push, thrust”). Alternative etymology derives the Middle English word from Old French estoquer, estochier (“to thrust, strike”), from the same Germanic source. More at stock.
From a back-formation of stoker, apparently from Dutch stoker, from stoken (“to kindle a fire, incite, instigate”), from Middle Dutch stoken (“to poke, thrust”), from stock (“stick, stock”), see: tandenstoker. Ultimately the same word as above.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/stoke