sake

¹

[ seyk ]

noun

1. cause, account, interest, or benefit:

   for the sake of all students.

   Synonyms: respect, consideration, regard

2. purpose or end:

   for the sake of appearances.

   Synonyms: reason

sake

²

or sa·ké, sa·ki

[ sah-kee ]

noun

1. a Japanese fermented, mildly alcoholic beverage made from rice.

sake

¹

/ seɪk /

noun

1. benefit or interest (esp in the phrase for ( someone's or one's own ) sake )
2. the purpose of obtaining or achieving (esp in the phrase for the sake of ( something ))
3. used in various exclamations of impatience, urgency, etc

   for pete's sake

   for heaven's sake

sake

²

/ ˈsækɪ /

noun

1. a Japanese alcoholic drink made from fermented rice

Word History and Origins

Origin of sake¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English sacu “lawsuit, cause”; cognate with German Sache “thing,” Old Norse sǫk “lawsuit”; akin to seek

Origin of sake²

First recorded in 1680–90; from Japanese sake; compare Okinawan saki

Word History and Origins

Origin of sake¹

C13 (in the phrase for the sake of, probably from legal usage): from Old English sacu lawsuit (hence, a cause); related to Old Norse sok, German Sache matter

Origin of sake²

C17: from Japanese

Idioms and Phrases

see for the sake of .

Example Sentences

She said she felt she had to have the surgery for the sake of her daughter.

From BBC

But here is where the interests of the incoming Trump regime align with those of us who surely would not like to endure another round of price increases for the sake of carrying out the single most morally unconscionable national domestic policy since the internment of Japanese citizens during World War II.

From Slate

Measure A can’t solve all those problems, but it is expected to generate $1 billion a year, for goodness’ sake.

From Los Angeles Times

Of course, all of this is a crass exercise on the part of America’s financial class, a heaping sacrifice of vulnerable Americans and democratic bulwarks for the sake of “number go up.”

From Slate

He thinks people who may feel like a burden to their loved-ones might, for example, choose to "end their lives because they feel like they ought to for their children's sake".

From BBC

Related Words

• well-being