1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Steak

STEAK, a thick slice or piece of meat cut for frying, broiling or stewing. The word is apparently derived from Icel. steik, used in the same sense, which meant properly roasted meat, from steikja, to roast, that is, placed on a stick or peg of wood before the fire, stika, stick, cf. Swed. stek; Dan. steg, roast meat. A steak may be cut from any meat or fish, but the best-known is a “beef-steak,” cut properly from the rump a “rump-steak,” or part of the loin a “tenderloin.” A “porter-house” steak is a choice cut of steak from the loin, so named apparently first in New York from a well-known “porter-house,” an eating-house where chops, steaks, &c., and porter or stout were served, at which these steaks were a speciality. A steak grilled between two other steaks, which are not served after the cooking is finished, is also sometimes called a “porter-house” steak.