heck

UK: hɛk | US: hɛk

Definition

  1. n. a mild exclamation of surprise, frustration, or emphasis (euphemism for "hell")

  2. n. (informal) something of little consequence (e.g., "not worth a heck")

Structure

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Etymology

"Heck" is a euphemistic alteration of "hell," first recorded in the mid-19th century. It follows a pattern of softening taboo words (e.g., "darn" for "damn"). Unlike compound words, "heck" does not break into meaningful morphemes—it evolved phonetically to avoid offense while retaining the original word's expressive function. Its spelling and pronunciation are intentionally distorted, making it monomorphic.

Examples

  1. "What the heck is going on here?"

  2. "I don’t give a heck about their rules."

  3. "Oh heck, I forgot my keys again!"

  4. "This car isn’t worth a heck after the accident."

  5. "Heck, I’ll just do it myself."