cook
cook Lexical Profile
cook Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A person who prepares and heats food for eating, either as a regular domestic duty or as a professional occupation in a restaurant, hotel, or household.
"The head cook at the local diner prepares fresh soup every morning before the breakfast rush."
• verb
To prepare food, a dish, or a meal by combining ingredients and applying heat.
"My grandmother taught me how to cook traditional vegetable stew from scratch."
To undergo the application of heat so as to become ready for eating (of food).
"Let the onions cook slowly over low heat until they become soft and translucent."
To alter, falsify, or tamper with financial records, accounts, or data dishonestly in order to deceive others (informal).
"The auditors discovered that the former treasurer had tried to cook the company's financial statements."
Word Nuance & Usage
The person who prepares food is a 'cook' (or 'chef' in professional settings), whereas 'cooker' (primarily British) refers to the kitchen appliance or stove used for cooking.
• Rhymes for cook
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'cōc', borrowed from Vulgar Latin 'cocus' (classical Latin 'coquus'), meaning 'a cook', from the verb 'coquere' ('to cook, prepare food, or ripen').