Word Confusion: Peak vs Peek vs Peke vs Pique

Plural for the noun: peaks

Third person present verb: peaks
Past tense or past participle: peaked
Present participle: peaking

Plural for the noun: peeks
Gerund: peeking

Third person present verb: peeks
Past tense or past participle: peeked
Present participle: peeking

Plural: Pekes, pekes

Can be capitalized or not; be consistent

Plural for the noun: pique
Gerund: piquing

Third person present verb: piques
Past tense or past participle: piqued
Present participle: piquing

Noun:
Pointed top of a mountain ¹

A projecting pointed part or shape

A point in a curve or on a graph, or a value of a physical quantity higher than those around it

The point of highest activity, quality, or achievement

The maximum point, degree, or volume of anything

[Nautical] Narrow part of a ship’s hold at the bow or stern

[Nautical] Upper, outer corner of a sail extended by a gaff

[British] A stiff brim at the front of a cap

Verb, intransitive:
Reach a highest point, either of a specified value or at a specified time ¹

[Archaic] Decline in health and spirits ²

Waste away

Verb, transitive:
[Nautical] To raise the after end of a yard, gaff, etc., to or toward an angle above the horizontal ¹

• To set a gaff
• To tilt oars vertically

Verb, intransitive:
Look quickly, typically in a furtive manner

To be just visible

[Piquet] Scoring of 30 points on declarations and play before one’s opponent scores anything ²

Verb, intransitive:
To arouse pique in someone ¹

Verb, transitive:
To affect with sharp irritation and resentment, especially by some wound to pride ¹

To wound (the pride, vanity, etc.)

To excite (interest, curiosity, etc.)

To arouse an emotion or provoke to action

[Archaic] To pride (oneself) (usually followed by on or upon)

[Piquet] Score a pique against one’s opponent ²

He did not expect to be anywhere near peak fitness by Christmas.

That’s nuts! It’s peak travel time then.

At peak hours, traffic speeds are reduced considerably.

Noun:
Whisk two egg whites to stiff peaks.

Jones was at his peak in the 1984 Olympics.

She’s reached the peak of her political career already.

Oil prices reached their peak last year.

Verb, intransitive:
His popularity peaked after the convention.

Beat the egg whites until they peak.

Sales tend to peak just before the holidays.

Verb, transitive:
The Beatles peaked in 1967 when Brian Epstein died.

Peak the halyard.

The crew peaked their oars.

Aww, c’mon . . .just a sneak peek??

I had a quick peek into the bedroom.

Verb, intransitive:
Anyone who peeks through someone’s window is a peeping Tom!

A number of curtains were twitching as it seemed the whole town was peeking through their windows.

The cheeks of her ass were just peeking out of those tiny shorts.

Oh, he’s just the cutest little Peke!

My neighbor used to have Pekes.

He stormed out of the room in a fit of pique.

Lord Melbourne scored a pique against me.

Verb, intransitive:
It was an action that piqued when it was meant to soothe.

Gads, I’ve been piqued!

Verb, transitive:
She was greatly piqued when they refused her invitation.

Her curiosity was piqued by the gossip.

You have piqued my curiosity about the book.

1. Mid-16th century and probably a back-formation from peaked, a variant of dialect picked meaning pointed.
2. Early 17th century is of unknown origin. The phrase peak and pine derives its currency from Shakespeare.

   Illness.

Early 20th century abbreviation.

1. Mid-16th century from the French piquer meaning prick, irritate and denoting animosity between two or more people.
2. Mid-17th century from the French pic, which is from the Old French sense, stabbing blow, which is of unknown ultimate origin.