reck verb & noun. [rɛk] Long arch. & poet. OE.
[Partly repr. Old English unrecorded inf. (pa. t. rōhte) = Old Saxon rōkjan, Old High German ruohhen, Old Norse rœkja, from Germanic; partly repr. Old English reććan, of unkn. origin. Cf. RECKLESS.]
A. verb.
1. verb intrans. (foll. by by, for, of) & trans. Take heed of or have regard for (a person or consequence) through desire, self-interest, caution, etc. OE.
■ R. Sutcliff Holy war..is..the most deadly kind, for it recks nothing of consequences.
b. verb intrans. Know or be aware of. E19.

2. verb intrans.
a. Care or be disposed to do. OE.
■ Shakespeare As You Like It My master is..churlish..And little recks to find the way to heaven.
b. Be troubled, distressed, or unwilling to do. OE.

3. verb intrans. & refl. Care, concern oneself. Also foll. by interrog. clause. OE.
■ Sir W. Scott Whether false the news, or true..I reck as light as you.

4. verb intrans. & trans. Be of concern or interest (to); matter (to). Usu. impers. in (it) recks etc. ME.
■ Milton What recks it them? What need they?
■ R. D. Blackmore Little it recked us..that they were our founder's citizens.

5. verb trans. Reckon, consider. Now Scot. L16.
b. noun. Care, heed, regard. L15.

► Rare between 17 and 19. Chiefly in neg. and interrog. contexts.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲