Wiktionary

rock

See also: Rock and röck
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English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle English rocke, rokke (“rock formation”), from Old English *rocc (“rock”), as in Old English stānrocc (“high stone rock, peak, obelisk”), and also later from Anglo-Norman roque, (compare Modern French roc, roche, rocher), from Medieval Latin rocca (attested 767), of uncertain origin, sometimes said to be of Celtic (in particular, perhaps Gaulish) origin (compare Breton roc'h).[1] Related also to Middle Low German rocke (“rock ledge”). One suggestion is that it derives from Vulgar Latin *rupica, from rupes (compare rupico).[2]

Noun

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rock (countable and uncountable, plural rocks)

 
Solid mineral aggregate.
 
A boulder.
 
A yellow diamond.
 
Several rocks of crack cocaine.
  1. A formation of minerals, specifically:
    1. (uncountable) The naturally occurring aggregate of solid mineral matter that constitutes a significant part of the earth's crust.
      • 2013 June 29, “High and wet”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 28:
        Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state of Uttarakhand, have wrought disaster on an enormous scale. […] Rock-filled torrents smashed vehicles and homes, burying victims under rubble and sludge.
      The face of the cliff is solid rock.
    2. A mass of stone projecting out of the ground or water.
      The ship crashed on the rocks.
    3. (chiefly UK, Ireland) A boulder or large stone; or (US, Canada) a smaller stone; a pebble.
      Some fool has thrown a rock through my window.
    4. (geology) Any natural material with a distinctive composition of minerals.
    5. (slang) A precious stone or gem, especially a diamond.
      Look at the size of that rock on her finger!
  2. A large hill or island having no vegetation.
    Pearl Rock near Cape Cod is so named because the morning sun makes it gleam like a pearl.
  3. (figuratively) Something that is strong, stable, and dependable; a person who provides security or support to another.
  4. A lump or cube of ice.
    I'll have a whisky on the rocks, please.
  5. (British, uncountable) A type of confectionery made from sugar in the shape of a stick, traditionally having some text running through its length.
    While we're in Brighton, let's get a stick of rock!
  6. (US, slang) A crystallized lump of crack cocaine.
    Synonyms: crack rock, candy
    • 1995, “Dear Mama”, in Me Against the World, performed by 2Pac:
      I ain't guilty, ‘cause even though I sell rocks / It feels good puttin' money in your mailbox
    • 2014, Russell Brand, “Prologue”, in Revolution, →ISBN, page xiii:
      When I necked five-quid bottles of vodka, I did not read the label. When I scored rocks and bags off tumbleweed hobos blowing through the no-man's-land of Hackney estates, I conducted no litmus test.
  7. (US, slang) An unintelligent person, especially one who repeats mistakes.
  8. (South Africa, slang, derogatory) An Afrikaner.
  9. (US poker slang) An extremely conservative player who is willing to play only the very strongest hands.
  10. Any of several fish:
    1. The striped bass.
    2. The huss or rock salmon.
      We ordered rock and chips to take away.
  11. (US, basketball, slang) A basketball.
    Yo homie, pass the rock!
    • 2021 July 14, A. A. Dowd, “Space Jam: A New Legacy is one big, witless commercial for Warner Bros. properties”, in The A.V. Club‎[1]:
      It [the original Space Jam limped to 88 minutes with detours into Jordan’s swanky mansion and forced its cartoon cavalry to compete for screen time against Wayne Knight and a bunch of basketball players who delivered their lines much less confidently than they put the rock through the net.
  12. (US, baseball, slang) A mistake.
    • 2014, Joe Morgan, Richard Lally, Baseball For Dummies, page 227:
      Now, you should never make the last out of an inning at third, and when a player does it, everyone knows he pulled a rock.
  13. (curling) Synonym of stone.
  14. (rock paper scissors) A closed hand (a handshape resembling a rock), that beats scissors and loses to paper. It beats lizard and loses to Spock in rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock.
  15. (informal, cricket) A cricket ball, especially a new one that has not been softened by use
  16. (CB radio slang) A crystal used to control the radio frequency.
    • 1980, Joseph J. Carr, The Complete Handbook of Radio Receivers, page 199:
      It was easily possible to double the cost of a CB rig just by adding all of the "rocks" necessary to do the job.
Synonyms
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Hyponyms
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Derived terms
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Terms derived from rock (etymology 1)
Translations
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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

References

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  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “rock”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
  2. ^ https://www.etymonline.com/word/rock

Etymology 2

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From Middle English rokken, from Old English roccian, from Proto-West Germanic *rokkōn, from Proto-Germanic *rukkōną, from Proto-Germanic *rukkōną, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ruknéh₂ti, from *h₃rewk-, *h₃runk-.

See also obsolete Dutch rokken, Middle High German rocken (“to drag, jerk”), Modern German rücken (“to move, shift”), Icelandic rukka (“to yank”); also Latin runcāre (“to weed”), Latvian rũķēt (“to toss, dig”).

Verb

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rock (third-person singular simple present rocks, present participle rocking, simple past and past participle rocked)

  1. (transitive and intransitive) To move gently back and forth.
    Rock the baby to sleep.
    The empty swing rocked back and forth in the wind.
  2. (transitive) To cause to shake or sway violently.
    Don't rock the boat.
  3. (intransitive) To sway or tilt violently back and forth.
    The boat rocked at anchor.
  4. (transitive and intransitive, of ore etc.) To be washed and panned in a cradle or in a rocker.
    The ores had been rocked and laid out for inspection.
  5. (transitive) To disturb the emotional equilibrium of; to distress; to greatly impact (most often positively).
    Downing Street has been rocked by yet another sex scandal.
    She rocked my world.
  6. (intransitive) To do well or to be operating at high efficiency.
    • 2012 April 24, Phil Dawkes, “Barcelona 2-2 Chelsea”, in BBC Sport:
      The Blues' challenge had been rocking at that point, with Terry's centre-back partner Gary Cahill lost to injury and Barca having just levelled the tie through Busquets's neat, close-range finish from Isaac Cuenca's pull-back.
  7. (intransitive, stative) To be cool.
    That band rocks!
  8. (slang, ambitransitive, euphemistic) To make love to or have sex (with).
    I wanna rock!
    • 1973, Noddy Holder, Jim Lea, “Cum On Feel the Noize”, performed by Slade:
      Cum on feel the noize, girls, rock your boys.
    • 1974, Andy Kim, “Rock Me Gently”:
      Rock me gently, rock me slowly, take it easy, don't you know, that I have never been loved like this before.
    • 1974, Harry Wayne Casey, Richard Finch, “Rock Your Baby”, performed by George McCrae:
      Open up your heart / And let the loving start / Oh, woman, take me in your arms / Rock your baby.
    • 1980, Jonah Ellis, Alisa Peoples, Cavin Yarbrough, “Don't Stop the Music”, in The Two of Us, performed by Yarbrough and Peoples:
      I just wanna rock you, all night long.
    • 1999, Harry Connick Jr., “Come By Me”:
      Try me out, and if you get excited
      Take me home, I'd love to be invited
      Once we're there, I'm sure you'll be delighted
      We could rock all night
  9. (intransitive) To sway one's body as a stim.
Synonyms
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Derived terms
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Terms derived from rock (etymology 2)
Translations
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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Noun

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rock (plural rocks)

  1. An act of rocking; a rocking motion; a sway.
Translations
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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

  • Etymology 3

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    Shortened from rock and roll. Since the meaning of rock has adapted to mean a simpler, more modern, metal-like genre, rock and roll has generally been left referring to earlier forms such as that originating in the 1950s, notably more swing-oriented style.

    Noun

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    rock (uncountable)

    2. (music) A style of music characterized by basic drum-beat, generally 4/4 riffs, based on (usually electric) guitar, bass guitar, drums, keyboards (often), and vocals.
    Hyponyms
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    Derived terms
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    Translations
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    Verb

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    rock (third-person singular simple present rocks, present participle rocking, simple past and past participle rocked)

    1. (intransitive) To play, perform, or enjoy rock music, especially with a lot of skill or energy.
      Let's rock!
    2. (intransitive, slang) To be very favourable or skilful; excel; be fantastic.
      Synonyms: bang, rule; see also Thesaurus:excel
      Antonyms: stink, suck
      Chocolate rocks.
      My holidays in Ibiza rocked! I can't wait to go back.
    3. (transitive) To thrill or excite, especially with rock music.
      Let's rock this joint!
    4. (intransitive) To have people dancing and enjoying rock music.
      • 1962, “Monster Mash”, Bobby "Boris" Pickett and Lenny Capizzi (lyrics), performed by Bobby (Boris) Pickett and The Crypt-Kickers:
        The scene was rocking, all were digging the sounds
        Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds
        The coffin-bangers were about to arrive
        With their vocal group, The Crypt-Kicker Five.
    5. (transitive) To do something with excitement yet skillfully.
      I need to rock a piss.
    7. (transitive) To wear (a piece of clothing, outfit etc.) successfully or with style; to carry off (a particular look, style).
      Synonym: sport
      • 1997, “Mo Money Mo Problems”, in Life After Death, performed by The Notorious B.I.G. ft. Ma$e and Diddy:
        I call all the shots, rip all the spots / Rock all the rocks, cop all the drops
      • 2011 April 29, Tim Jonze, “Nerdy but nice”, in The Guardian‎[2]:
        Take today, where she's rocking that well-known fashion combo – a Tory Burch outfit offset with a whacking great bruise attained by smacking her head on a plane's overhead lockers.
      • 2012 May 8, “Rhianna dazzles at the Met Gala”, in The Sun newspaper‎[3]:
        Rihanna was the pick of the best bunch, rocking a black backless crocodile dress from Tom Ford’s Autumn 2012 collection
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    Translations
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    Etymology 4

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    From Middle English rok, rocke, rokke, perhaps from Middle Dutch rocke (whence Dutch rokken), Middle Low German rocken, or Old Norse rokkr (whence Icelandic / Faroese rokkur, Danish rok, Swedish spinnrock (“spinning wheel”)). Cognate with Old High German rocko (“distaff”).

    Noun

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    rock (countable and uncountable, plural rocks)

    1. (countable) Distaff.
      • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 48:
        Sad Clotho held the rocke, the whiles the thread / By grisly Lachesis was spun with pain, / That cruel Atropos eftsoon undid.
      • 1899, T Frank Waters, The Development of Our Town Government:
        By order of the General Court in 1642, the "prudentiall" men of each town were instructed "to take care of such [children] as are sett to keep cattle be set to some other employment withal, as spinning upon the rock, knitting, weaving tape, etc., and that boys and girls be not suffered to converse together so as may occasion any wanton, dishonest or immodest behavior.
      • 1902, Day Otis Kellogg, Thomas Spencer Baynes, William Robertson Smith, The Encyclopaedia Britannica, page 664:
        A prepared end of yarn being fixed into the notch, the spinster, by a smart rolling motion of the spindle with the right hand against the right leg, threw it out from her, spinning in the air, while, with the left hand, she drew from the rock an additional supply of fibre which was formed into a uniform and equal strand with the right.
      • 1920, John Horner, The Linen Trade of Europe During the Spinning-wheel Period, page 32:
        It is true that in Ireland, even in recent years, the flax, before being placed on the rock or distaff, was tangled into a mass, or, as Cormmelin expresses it, “drawn out in a flat cake.”
    2. (uncountable) The flax or wool on a distaff.
    Translations
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    Etymology 5

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    Noun

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    rock (plural rocks)

    1. Archaic form of roc (mythical bird)

    Anagrams

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    Catalan

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    Etymology

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    Borrowed from English rock.

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    rock m (uncountable)

    1. rock, rock music

    Further reading

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    Czech

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    Etymology

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    Borrowed from English rock.

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    rock m inan

    1. rock (style of music)

    Declension

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    Declension of rock (velar masculine inanimate)
    singular plural
    nominative rock rocky
    genitive rocku rocků
    dative rocku rockům
    accusative rock rocky
    vocative rocku rocky
    locative rocku rocích, rockách
    instrumental rockem rocky

    Derived terms

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    Dutch

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    Etymology

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    Unadapted borrowing from English rock. Doublet of rots.

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    rock m (uncountable)

    1. rock (style of music)

    Derived terms

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    Finnish

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    Etymology

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    Unadapted borrowing from English rock.

    Pronunciation

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    • IPA(key): /ˈrok/, [ˈro̞k]
    • Rhymes: -ok
    • Syllabification(key): rock
    • Hyphenation(key): rock

    Noun

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    rock

    1. rock (style of music)

    Declension

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    Inflection of rock (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
    nominative rock rockit
    genitive rockin rockien
    partitive rockia rockeja
    illative rockiin rockeihin
    singular plural
    nominative rock rockit
    accusative nom. rock rockit
    gen. rockin
    genitive rockin rockien
    partitive rockia rockeja
    inessive rockissa rockeissa
    elative rockista rockeista
    illative rockiin rockeihin
    adessive rockilla rockeilla
    ablative rockilta rockeilta
    allative rockille rockeille
    essive rockina rockeina
    translative rockiksi rockeiksi
    abessive rockitta rockeitta
    instructive — rockein
    comitative See the possessive forms below.
    Possessive forms of rock (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
    first-person singular possessor
    singular plural
    nominative rockini rockini
    accusative nom. rockini rockini
    gen. rockini
    genitive rockini rockieni
    partitive rockiani rockejani
    inessive rockissani rockeissani
    elative rockistani rockeistani
    illative rockiini rockeihini
    adessive rockillani rockeillani
    ablative rockiltani rockeiltani
    allative rockilleni rockeilleni
    essive rockinani rockeinani
    translative rockikseni rockeikseni
    abessive rockittani rockeittani
    instructive — —
    comitative — rockeineni
    second-person singular possessor
    singular plural
    nominative rockisi rockisi
    accusative nom. rockisi rockisi
    gen. rockisi
    genitive rockisi rockiesi
    partitive rockiasi rockejasi
    inessive rockissasi rockeissasi
    elative rockistasi rockeistasi
    illative rockiisi rockeihisi
    adessive rockillasi rockeillasi
    ablative rockiltasi rockeiltasi
    allative rockillesi rockeillesi
    essive rockinasi rockeinasi
    translative rockiksesi rockeiksesi
    abessive rockittasi rockeittasi
    instructive — —
    comitative — rockeinesi
    first-person plural possessor
    singular plural
    nominative rockimme rockimme
    accusative nom. rockimme rockimme
    gen. rockimme
    genitive rockimme rockiemme
    partitive rockiamme rockejamme
    inessive rockissamme rockeissamme
    elative rockistamme rockeistamme
    illative rockiimme rockeihimme
    adessive rockillamme rockeillamme
    ablative rockiltamme rockeiltamme
    allative rockillemme rockeillemme
    essive rockinamme rockeinamme
    translative rockiksemme rockeiksemme
    abessive rockittamme rockeittamme
    instructive — —
    comitative — rockeinemme
    second-person plural possessor
    singular plural
    nominative rockinne rockinne
    accusative nom. rockinne rockinne
    gen. rockinne
    genitive rockinne rockienne
    partitive rockianne rockejanne
    inessive rockissanne rockeissanne
    elative rockistanne rockeistanne
    illative rockiinne rockeihinne
    adessive rockillanne rockeillanne
    ablative rockiltanne rockeiltanne
    allative rockillenne rockeillenne
    essive rockinanne rockeinanne
    translative rockiksenne rockeiksenne
    abessive rockittanne rockeittanne
    instructive — —
    comitative — rockeinenne
    third-person possessor
    singular plural
    nominative rockinsa rockinsa
    accusative nom. rockinsa rockinsa
    gen. rockinsa
    genitive rockinsa rockiensa
    partitive rockiaan
    rockiansa     		rockejaan
    rockejansa
    inessive rockissaan
    rockissansa     		rockeissaan
    rockeissansa
    elative rockistaan
    rockistansa     		rockeistaan
    rockeistansa
    illative rockiinsa rockeihinsa
    adessive rockillaan
    rockillansa     		rockeillaan
    rockeillansa
    ablative rockiltaan
    rockiltansa     		rockeiltaan
    rockeiltansa
    allative rockilleen
    rockillensa     		rockeilleen
    rockeillensa
    essive rockinaan
    rockinansa     		rockeinaan
    rockeinansa
    translative rockikseen
    rockiksensa     		rockeikseen
    rockeiksensa
    abessive rockittaan
    rockittansa     		rockeittaan
    rockeittansa
    instructive — —
    comitative — rockeineen
    rockeinensa

    Synonyms

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    Derived terms

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    compounds

    Further reading

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    French

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    Etymology

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    Borrowed from English rock.

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    rock m (uncountable)

    1. rock (style of music)

    Derived terms

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    Further reading

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    Hungarian

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    Etymology

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    From English rock.

    Pronunciation

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    • IPA(key): [ˈrokː]
    • Hyphenation: rock

    Noun

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    rock (plural rockok)

    1. (music) rock (style of music)
      Synonym: rockzene

    Declension

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    Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
    singular plural
    nominative rock rockok
    accusative rockot rockokat
    dative rocknak rockoknak
    instrumental rockkal rockokkal
    causal-final rockért rockokért
    translative rockká rockokká
    terminative rockig rockokig
    essive-formal rockként rockokként
    essive-modal — —
    inessive rockban rockokban
    superessive rockon rockokon
    adessive rocknál rockoknál
    illative rockba rockokba
    sublative rockra rockokra
    allative rockhoz rockokhoz
    elative rockból rockokból
    delative rockról rockokról
    ablative rocktól rockoktól
    non-attributive
    possessive – singular     		rocké rockoké
    non-attributive
    possessive – plural     		rockéi rockokéi
    Possessive forms of rock
    possessor single possession multiple possessions
    1st person sing. rockom rockjaim
    2nd person sing. rockod rockjaid
    3rd person sing. rockja rockjai
    1st person plural rockunk rockjaink
    2nd person plural rockotok rockjaitok
    3rd person plural rockjuk rockjaik

    Derived terms

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    Compound words
    Expressions
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    Italian

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    Etymology

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    Unadapted borrowing from English rock.

    Pronunciation

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    • IPA(key): /ˈrɔk/
    • Rhymes: -ɔk
    • Hyphenation: ròck

    Noun

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    rock m (uncountable)

    1. rock (style of music)

    Further reading

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    • rock in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

    Polish

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    Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia pl

    Etymology

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    Unadapted borrowing from English rock.

    Pronunciation

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    Noun

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    rock m inan

    1. rock (style of music)

    Declension

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    Declension of rock
    singular
    nominative rock
    genitive rocka
    dative rockowi
    accusative rocka
    instrumental rockiem
    locative rocku
    vocative rocku

    Derived terms

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    adjective
    noun
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    nouns

    Further reading

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    • rock in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
    • rock in Polish dictionaries at PWN

    Portuguese

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    Portuguese Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia pt

    Alternative forms

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    Etymology

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    Unadapted borrowing from English rock.

    Pronunciation

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    • (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈʁɔ.ki/ [ˈhɔ.ki], /ˈʁɔk/ [ˈhɔk]
      • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA(key): /ˈʁɔ.ki/ [ˈχɔ.ki], /ˈʁɔk/ [ˈχɔk]
      • (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈʁɔk/ [ˈhɔk], /ˈʁɔ.ki/ [ˈhɔ.ki]

    Noun

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    rock m (uncountable)

    1. rock (style of music)
      Synonym: rock and roll

    Derived terms

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    Romanian

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    Etymology

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    Unadapted borrowing from English rock.

    Noun

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    rock n (plural rockuri)

    1. rock

    Declension

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    Declension of rock
    singular plural
    indefinite definite indefinite definite
    nominative-accusative rock rockul rockuri rockurile
    genitive-dative rock rockului rockuri rockurilor
    vocative rockule rockurilor

    Spanish

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    Spanish Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia es

    Etymology

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    Unadapted borrowing from English rock.

    Pronunciation

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    • IPA(key): /ˈrok/ [ˈrok]
    • Rhymes: -ok
    • Syllabification: rock

    Noun

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    rock m (plural rocks)

    1. rock (music style)

    Usage notes

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    According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

    Derived terms

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    Further reading

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    Swedish

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    Pronunciation

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    Etymology 1

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    From Old Swedish rokker, from Middle Low German rock, from Old Saxon rok, from Proto-West Germanic *(h)rokk, from Proto-Germanic *rukkaz.

    Noun

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    rock c

    1. a coat, an overcoat
    Declension
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    Declension of rock
    nominative genitive
    singular indefinite rock rocks
    definite rocken rockens
    plural indefinite rockar rockars
    definite rockarna rockarnas
    Synonyms
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    Etymology 2

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    Borrowed from English rock.

    Noun

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    rock c (uncountable)

    1. (music, uncountable) rock, rock and roll
    Declension
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    Declension of rock
    nominative genitive
    singular indefinite rock rocks
    definite rocken rockens
    plural indefinite — —
    definite — —
    Derived terms
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    See also
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    References

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    Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=rock&oldid=84581052"