trek en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
From Afrikaans trek, from Dutch trekken, from Middle Dutch trekken (weak verb) and trēken (“to trek, place, bring, move”, strong verb), from Old Dutch *trekkan, *trekan, from Proto-West Germanic *trekan, from Proto-Germanic *trekaną, *trakjaną (“to drag, haul, scrape, pull”), from Proto-Indo-European *dreg- (“to drag, scrape”).
Meanings
- (South-Africa) A journey by ox wagon.
- (South-Africa) The Boer migration of 1835–1837.
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A slow or difficult journey.
Young Indians looking for work opportunities have made up a sizeable portion of undocumented migrants in the US, many after making the dangerous trek through Latin America to reach the US southern border.
2025 February 7, Esha Mitra, Aishwarya S Iyer and Ross Adkin, “‘Treated like criminals’: Shackling of Indians aboard 40-hour migrant flight sparks new outrage against Trump”, in CNN:We're planning a trek up Kilimanjaro.
Early the next morning I set off on the long and hazardous trek through jungles and hills into Assam, and regretfully said "good-bye" to the gallant little Burma Railways, which had functioned to the last and played a big part in evacuating many thousands of refugees and wounded soldiers in the path of the rapidly advancing Japanese.
1943 November and December, G. T. Porter, “The Lines Behind the Lines in Burma”, in Railway Magazine, page 327:
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A long walk.
I would drive to the shops from here; you can walk, but it's quite a trek.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| treck | alternative, archaic | lexicographic | |
| treks | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
trekpath · Trekiverse · Trekverse