croak
English
Etymology
From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle English *croken, crouken, (also represented by craken > crake), back-formation from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old English crācettan (“to croak”) (also in derivative crǣcettung (“croaking”)), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Germanic *krēk- (compare Swedish kråka, German krächzen), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Indo-European *greh₂-k- (compare Latin grāculus (“jackdaw”), Serbo-Croatian grákati).
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 307: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "GenAm" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. enPR: krōk, IPA(key): /kɹoʊk/
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 307: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "RP" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. enPR: krōk, IPA(key): /kɹəʊk/
Audio (AU): (file) - Rhymes: -əʊk
Noun
croak (plural croaks)
- A faint, harsh sound made in the throat.
- The cry of a frog or toad. (see also ribbit)
- The harsh cry of various birds, such as the raven or corncrake, or other creatures.
Translations
a faint, harsh sound made in the throat
the cry of a frog or toad
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the harsh cry of various birds, particularly the raven or crow — see caw
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Verb
croak (third-person singular simple present croaks, present participle croaking, simple past and past participle croaked)
- (intransitive) To make a croak.
- (transitive) To utter in a low, hoarse voice.
- (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- The raven himself is hoarse, / That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan.
- (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- (intransitive, of a frog, toad, raven, or various other birds or animals) To make its cry.
- (slang) To die.
- (transitive, slang) To kill someone or something.
- He'd seen my face, so I had to croak him.
- (Can we date this quote by G. K. Chesterton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- If Wilton croaked the criminal he did a jolly good day's work, and there's an end of it.
- To complain; especially, to grumble; to forebode evil; to utter complaints or forebodings habitually.
- (Can we date this quote by Carlyle and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
- Marat […] croaks with reasonableness.
- (Can we date this quote by Carlyle and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
Translations
to make a croak
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of a frog, to make its cry
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slang: to die
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of a raven, to make its cry — see caw
slang: to kill
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Categories:
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/əʊk
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English transitive verbs
- Requests for date/Shakespeare
- English slang
- Requests for date/G. K. Chesterton
- Requests for date/Carlyle
- English onomatopoeias
- en:Animal sounds
- en:Death