Peek at the past

SIR – The answer to Vanessa Long’s question (Letters, March 24) of when the word peep became peek appears, according to the OED and Merriam Webster, to be some time in the Middle English period – that is, 1100-1500.

Even forthcoming dates from 1943. The joy of English is the richness and variety of its synonyms and we should stop treating time-honoured alternatives as unwelcome newcomers simply because we dislike them.

Crowborough, East Sussex