eke v.

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to increase." It forms all or part of: auction; augment; augmentative; augur; August; august; Augustus; author; authoritarian; authorize; auxiliary; auxin; eke (v.); inaugurate; nickname; waist; wax (v.1) "grow bigger or greater."

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit ojas- "strength," vaksayati "cause to grow;" Lithuanian augu, augti "to grow," aukštas "high, of superior rank;" Greek auxo "increase," auxein "to increase;" Gothic aukan "to grow, increase;" Latin augmentum "an increase, growth," augere "to increase, make big, enlarge, enrich;" Old English eacien "to increase," German wachsen, Gothic wahsjan "to grow, increase."

Old English eallswa "just as, even as, as if, so as, likewise," contraction of eal swa, from all "altogether" + so. Originally an emphatic form of so.

The sense of "wholly so" weakened to "in addition to, in the same way," replacing eke. It was used in Old English to introduce a sequel to a preceding statement, "and so, then, therefore." It was used from c. 1200 in connecting sentences, "in addition, moreover." The compound has parallel forms in German also, Dutch alzoo. English as is a shortened form of it.

Early ME has the phrase as well as the compound. The reduced forms alse, als, as gradually become established in certain constructions, the fuller also in others .... The clear distinction between also and as is not attained until the 15th century. [Middle English Compendium, University of Michigan]

mid-15c., neke name, a misdivision of ekename (c. 1300), an eke name, "a familiar or diminutive name," especially one given in derision or reproach, literally "an additional name," from Old English eaca "an increase," related to eacian "to increase" (cognate with Old Norse auka-nefi, auknafn, Swedish öknamn, Danish ögenavn; see eke; also see N). As a verb, "to give a nickname to," from 1530s. Related: Nicknamed; nicknaming.