English
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Etymology
From Middle English crien , from Old French crier ( “ to announce publicly, proclaim, scream, shout ” ) (whence Medieval Latin crīdō ( “ to cry out, shout, publish, proclaim ” ) ), from Frankish *krītan ( “ to cry, cry out, publish ” ) , from Proto-Germanic *krītaną ( “ to cry out, shout ” ) , from Proto-Indo-European *greyd- ( “ to shout ” ) . Cognate with Saterland Frisian kriete ( “ to cry ” ) , Dutch krijten ( “ to cry ” ) and krijsen ( “ to shriek ” ) , German Low German krieten ( “ to cry, call out, shriek ” ) , German kreißen ( “ to cry loudly, wail, groan ” ) , Gothic 𐌺𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 ( kreitan , “ to cry, scream, call out ” ) , Latin gingrītus ( “ the cackling of geese ” ) , Middle Irish grith ( “ a cry ” ) , Welsh gryd ( “ a scream ” ) .
etymology note
Alternate etymology connects the Medieval Latin word to Latin queror ( “ to complain ” ) through the form quiritō ( “ to wail, shriek ” ) , though the phonetic and semantic developments are difficult to trace.
Middle English crien eventually displaced native Middle English galen ( “ to cry out ” ) (from Old English galan ), Middle English greden ( “ to cry out ” ) (from Old English grǣdan ), Middle English yermen ( “ to bellow, mourn, lament ” ) (from Old English ġierman ), Middle English hooen, hoen ( “ to cry out ” ) (from Old Norse hóa ), Middle English remen ( “ to cry, shout ” ) (from Old English hrīeman , compare Old English hrēam ( “ noise, outcry, lamentation, alarm ” ) ), Middle English greten, graten ( “ to weep, cry, lament ” ) (from Old English grǣtan and Old Norse gráta ). More at greet , regret .
Pronunciation
Verb
cry (third-person singular simple present cr , present participle ies , simple past and past participle cried )
a woman crying (1)
( intransitive ) To shed tears ; to weep .
That sad movie always makes me cry .
( transitive ) To utter loudly; to call out; to declare publicly.
(Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
All, all, cry shame against ye, yet I'll speak.
(Can we date this quote by Bunyan and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
The man [ …] ran on, crying , Life! life! Eternal life!
( transitive , intransitive ) To shout , scream , yell .
Bible, Matthew xxvii. 46
And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice.
( intransitive ) To utter inarticulate sounds, as animals do.
Bible, Psalms cxlvii. 9
the young ravens which cry
(Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
In a cowslip's bell I lie / There I couch when owls do cry .
( transitive ) To cause to do something, or bring to some state, by crying or weeping.
Tonight I'll cry myself to sleep.
To make oral and public proclamation of; to notify or advertise by outcry , especially things lost or found , goods to be sold , etc.
to cry goods
(Can we date this quote by Crashaw and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
Love is lost, and thus she cries him.
Hence, to publish the banns of, as for marriage.
(Can we date this quote by Judd and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
I should not be surprised if they were cried in church next Sabbath.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations
intransitive: to weep
Afrikaans: huil (af)
Albanian: qaj (sq)
Aleut: qida
Arabic: بَكَى ( bakā )
Egyptian Arabic: عَيَّط ( ʿayyaṭ )
Gulf Arabic: بچى ( biča )
Hijazi Arabic: بِكي ( biki )
Armenian: լալ (hy) ( lal ) , լաց լինել ( lacʻ linel )
Aromanian: plãngu
Assamese: কান্দ ( kand )
Asturian: llorar (ast)
Azerbaijani: ağlamaq (az)
Belarusian: пла́каць impf ( plákacʹ )
Bengali: কাঁদা ( kãda ) , কান্দা ( kanda ) , ক্রন্দন করা ( krondon kora )
Breton: gouelañ (br)
Bulgarian: пла́ча (bg) impf ( pláča )
Burmese: ငို (my) ( ngui )
Catalan: plorar (ca)
Chinese:
Cantonese: 喊 ( haam3 ) , 流眼淚 / 流眼泪 ( lau4 ngaan5 leoi6 ) , 流眼泪 ( lau4 ngaan5 leoi6 )
Mandarin: 哭 (zh) ( kū ) , 流眼淚 / 流眼泪 ( liú yǎnlèi ) , 流眼泪 ( liú yǎnlèi ) , 流淚 / 流泪 (zh) ( liúlèi ) , 流泪 (zh) ( iúlèi )
Min Nan: 吼 ( háu ) , 哭 (zh-min-nan) ( khàu )
Chukchi: мэрэтчак ( mėrėtčak )
Coptic: ⲣⲓⲙⲉ ( rime )
Cornish: kria
Czech: plakat (cs) impf , brečet (cs) impf
Dalmatian: plungro
Danish: græde (da)
Dutch: huilen (nl) , wenen (nl) (archaic), schreien (nl) (archaic), ( used for animals; vulgar when applied to people ) janken (nl)
Egyptian: (rmj )
Elfdalian: graina
Esperanto: plori (eo)
Estonian: nutma (et) , nuuksuma
Faroese: gráta (fo)
Fijian: tagica
Finnish: itkeä (fi) , parkua (fi) , vollottaa
French: pleurer (fr)
Friulian: vaî
Gagauz: aalamaa
Galician: chorar (gl)
Gallo: breur'
Georgian: ტირილი ( ṭirili )
German: weinen (de)
Gothic: 𐌲𐍂𐌴𐍄𐌰𐌽 ( grētan )
Greek: κλαίω (el) ( klaío )
Ancient: κλαίω ( klaíō ) , Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360 : Parameter "sc" should be a valid script code; the value "polytonic" is not valid. See WT:LOS .
Greenlandic: qiavoq
Hebrew: בָּכָה (he) ( bakhá )
Hindi: रोना (hi) ( ronā )
Hungarian: sír , rí (hu) , könnyezik (hu)
Icelandic: gráta (is)
Ido: plorar (io)
Indonesian: tangis (id) , menangis (id)
Inuktitut: ᕿᐊ ( qia )
Irish: caoin , goil
Istriot: piurà , pjurà
Italian: piangere (it)
Japanese: 泣く (ja) ( なく, naku )
Kalmyk: уульх ( uulʹx )
Kazakh: жылау (kk) ( jylau )
Khmer: យំ (km) ( yum )
Korean: 울다 (ko) ( ulda ) , 흐느끼다 ( heuneukkida )
Kumyk: йыламакъ ( yılamaq )
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Kyrgyz: ыйлоо (ky) ( ıyloo )
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Lao: ກຳສວນ ( kam sūan ) , ຍົມ ( nyom )
Latgalian: rauduot
Latin: fleō (la) , lacrimō (la)
Latvian: raudāt
Lithuanian: verkti (lt) , raudoti
Luxembourgish: kräischen (lb)
Macedonian: плаче impf ( plače )
Malay: menangis , tangis
Malayalam: കരയുക (ml) ( karayuka )
Maltese: beka
Maori: tangi , tawetawē ( in the manner of children do )
Mazanderani: برمه , برمه هکردن
Mongolian: уйлах (mn) ( ujlax )
Navajo: yicha
Neapolitan: chiagne
Norman: plieuther
Northern Sami: čierrut
Norwegian:
Bokmål: gråte (no)
Nynorsk: gråta
Occitan: plorar (oc)
Old Church Slavonic: плакати impf ( plakati )
Old French: plorer
Old Occitan: plorar
Persian: گریستن (fa) ( geristan ) , گریه کردن (fa) ( gerye kardan )
Pipil: chuka , chuca
Polish: płakać (pl) impf
Portuguese: chorar (pt)
Quechua: waqay (qu) , wagai
Romanian: plânge (ro)
Romansch: bragir , cridar
Russian: пла́кать (ru) impf ( plákatʹ ) , рыда́ть (ru) impf ( rydátʹ )
Sardinian: pianghere , plangiri , pragnere
Scots: greet
Scottish Gaelic: caoin , guil
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: пла̏кати impf , јецати impf
Roman: plȁkati (sh) impf , jecati (sh) impf
Shor: ылғарға ( ılğarğa )
Sicilian: chiànciri (scn) , ciànciri (scn)
Sinhalese: අඬනවා ( aⁿḍanawā )
Slovak: plakať impf
Slovene: jokati (sl) impf
Sorbian:
Upper Sorbian: płakać impf , zapłakać pf , popłakać pf
Sotho: lla (st)
Spanish: llorar (es)
Swedish: gråta (sv)
Sylheti: ꠇꠣꠘ꠆ꠖꠣ ( xanda )
Tagalog: lumuha , umiyak
Tajik: геристан ( geristan ) , герйе кардан ( gerye kardan )
Tamil: அழு (ta) ( aḻu )
Tatar: еларга (tt) ( yelarga )
Telugu: ఏడ్చు (te) ( ēḍcu )
Thai: ร้องไห้ (th) ( rɔ́ɔng-hâai ) , ร่ำไห้ ( râm-hâi )
Tok Pisin: karai
Turkish: ağlamak (tr)
Turkmen: aglamak (tk)
Ukrainian: пла́кати impf ( plákaty )
Urdu: رونا ( ronā )
Uyghur: يىغلىماق ( yighlimaq )
Uzbek: yigʻlamoq (uz)
Vietnamese: khóc (vi)
Welsh: crïo , llefain (cy) , wylo (cy)
West Frisian: treure
Yiddish: וויינען ( veynen )
Yucatec Maya: ok'ol
Yup'ik: qire
Zazaki: bermayen , bermen
ǃXóõ: kxʻāa
intransitive: to shout, scream, yell
Afrikaans: skreeu (af)
Arabic: صَاحَ ( ṣāḥa )
Armenian: գոռալ (hy) ( goṙal )
Bulgarian: рева (bg) ( reva ) , крещя (bg) ( kreštja )
Catalan: cridar (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 喊 (zh) ( hǎn )
Czech: křičet (cs) impf
Danish: råbe , skrige
Dutch: schreeuwen (nl) , gillen (nl) , krijsen (nl)
Egyptian: (sbḥ )
Estonian: karjuma , hüüdma
Finnish: huutaa (fi) , karjua (fi) , kiljua (fi)
French: crier (fr)
Galician: berrar (gl) , gritar (gl)
Georgian: ყვირის ( q̇viris )
German: schreien (de)
Greek:
Ancient: βοάω ( boáō ) , κράζω ( krázō )
Hungarian: kiált (hu) , kiabál (hu) , kiáltozik , csahol (hu) , vonít (hu) ( dog ) , rikolt (hu) , rikácsol (hu) ( bird )
Ido: kriar (io)
Italian: gridare (it) , urlare (it)
Japanese: 叫ぶ (ja) ( さけぶ, sakebu )
Khmer: ស្រែក (km) ( sraek )
Korean: 소리치다 (ko) ( sorichida ) , 외치다 (ko) ( oechida )
Kurdish:
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Latgalian: klīgt , rēkt
Latin: exclāmō
Latvian: kliegt , saukt
Lithuanian: šaukti , rėkti
Luxembourgish: jäizen
Macedonian: вика ( vika )
Maori: karerā ( as from pain ) , karerā ( with pain )
Norman: braithe
Old French: crier
Persian: هوار کشیدن ( havār kešidan ) , فریاد زدن (fa) ( faryād zadan )
Polish: krzyczeć (pl)
Portuguese: bradar (pt) , gritar (pt)
Quechua: qapariy
Romanian: plânge (ro)
Russian: крича́ть (ru) impf ( kričátʹ ) , ора́ть (ru) impf ( orátʹ )
Scottish Gaelic: gairm , ràn
Slovak: kričať , volať
Spanish: gritar (es)
Swahili: kulia (sw)
Swedish: skrika (sv) , skälla (sv)
Thai: ร้อง (th) ( rɔ́ɔng )
Ukrainian: крича́ти ( kryčáty )
West Frisian: skrieme
Zazaki: feryat kerden
ǃXóõ: kxʻāa
transitive: to shout, to scream (words)
Bulgarian: викам (bg) ( vikam ) , крещя (bg) ( kreštja )
Catalan: cridar (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 叫喊 (zh) ( jiàohǎn )
Danish: udbryde , bekendtgøre (da)
Dení: gritar
Dutch: roepen (nl) , schreeuwen (nl) , uitroepen (nl)
Estonian: karjuma , hüüdma
Finnish: huutaa (fi) , karjua (fi) , kiljua (fi)
German: schreien (de)
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Ido: kriar (io)
Korean: 소리치다 (ko) ( sorichida ) , 외치다 (ko) ( oechida )
Luxembourgish: jäizen
Portuguese: gritar (pt)
Scottish Gaelic: gairm , ràn
Slovak: kričať , volať
Spanish: gritar (es)
Swedish: ropa (sv) , skrika (sv)
Thai: ร้อง (th) ( rɔ́ɔng ) , ตะโกน (th) ( dtà-goon )
West Frisian: roppe
Zazaki: qu kerden
intransitive: to utter animal sounds
Noun
cry (plural cries )
A shedding of tears ; the act of crying.
After we broke up, I retreated to my room for a good cry .
A shout or scream .
I heard a cry from afar.
Words shouted or screamed.
a battle cry
A clamour or outcry.
1812 , Alexander Chalmers, The General Biographical Dictionary :His pupil, Maimonides, that he might not be under the necessity of violating the laws of friendship and gratitude, by joining the general cry against Averroes, left Corduba.
( collectively ) A group of hounds .
(Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
A cry more tunable / Was never hollaed to, nor cheered with horn.
1667 , Milton, Paradise Lost , Book II, in Edward Hawkins, The Poetical Works of John Milton: With Notes of Various Authors , Vol. I, W. Baxter, J. Parker, G. B. Whittaker (publs., 1824) pages 124 to 126, lines 648 to 659.
[ …] Before the gates there sat / On either side a formidable shape; / The one seem’d woman to the waste, and fair, / But ended foul in many a scaly fold / Voluminous and vast, a serpent arm’d / With mortal sting: about her middle round / A cry of hell-hounds never ceasing bark’d / With wide Cerberean mouths full loud and rung / A hideous peal; yet, when they list,would creep, / If ought disturb'd their noise, into her womb, / and kennel there, yet there still bark’d and howl’d, / Within unseen. [ …]
( by extension, obsolete , derogatory ) A pack or company of people.
(Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
Would not this [ …] get me a fellowship in a cry of players?
( of an animal ) A typical sound made by the species in question.
"Woof" is the cry of a dog, while "neigh" is the cry of a horse.
A desperate or urgent request.
( obsolete ) Common report; gossip.
(Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
The cry goes that you shall marry her.
Derived terms
Translations
shedding of tears
Bulgarian: плач (bg) ( plač )
Catalan: plor (ca) m
Cebuano: hilak
Chinese:
Mandarin: 哭 (zh) ( kū )
Czech: pláč (cs) m , brečení n
Danish: gråd (da) c , klage (da) c
Estonian: nutt
Finnish: itku (fi) , parku
French: pleur (fr) m
Galician: choro m
Georgian: ტირილი ( ṭirili )
German: Weinen (de) n
Greek: κλάμα (el) n ( kláma )
Hebrew: בכי (he) m ( bekhi )
Hungarian: sírás (hu)
Ilocano: agsangit
Irish: goil
Italian: pianto (it) m
Japanese: 泣き声 ( なきごえ, nakigoe )
Korean: 울음 (ko) ( ureum )
Kurdish:
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Latin: lacrimae (la) f pl , fletus m , ploratus m
Latvian: raudas pl , raudāšana
Lithuanian: verksmas m , verkimas m , rauda f
Macedonian: плач m ( plač )
Malay: tangisan
Persian: گریه (fa) ( gerye )
Polish: płacz (pl) m
Portuguese: choro (pt) m
Romanian: plânset (ro) n
Russian: плач (ru) m ( plač )
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: пла̏ч m
Roman: plȁč (sh) m
Sicilian: cianciuta (scn)
Slovak: plač m
Slovene: jok (sl) m
Spanish: llanto (es) m
Swahili: kiliyo (sw)
Swedish: gråt (sv)
Telugu: ఏడుపు (te) ( ēḍupu ) , శోకం (te) ( śōkaṁ )
Ukrainian: плач ( plač )
shout or scream
Armenian: ճիչ (hy) ( čičʻ ) , աղաղակ (hy) ( aġaġak )
Belarusian: крык ( kryk )
Bulgarian: крясък (bg) ( krjasǎk ) , рев (bg) ( rev )
Catalan: crit (ca) m
Cebuano: singgit , siyagit
Chinese:
Mandarin: 叫喊 (zh) ( jiàohǎn )
Danish: råb c , skrig c
Egyptian: (sbḥ )
Esperanto: krio
Estonian: arje , karjatus , kiljatus , kilje
Finnish: karjahdus (fi) , karjaisu , kiljahdus (fi) , kiljaisu , parkaisu (fi) , rääkäisy
French: cri (fr) m
German: Schrei (de) m
Greek: κραυγή (el) f ( kravgí )
Ancient: βοή f ( boḗ ) , κραυγή f ( kraugḗ )
Hungarian: kiáltás (hu) , ordítás (hu) , üvöltés (hu)
Italian: urlo (it) m
Korean: 외침 (ko) ( oechim )
Kurdish:
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Latvian: kliedziens m , sauciens m
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Lithuanian: riksmas m , šūksmas m
Luxembourgish: Kreesch m
Macedonian: вик m ( vik ) , крик m ( krik )
Old Irish: scréch f
Old Occitan: crid
Persian: فریاد (fa) ( faryâd ) , خروش (fa) ( xoruš )
Polish: okrzyk (pl) m , krzyk (pl) m
Portuguese: brado (pt) m , grito (pt) m
Romanian: țipăt (ro) n
Russian: крик (ru) m ( krik )
Sanskrit: क्रोश (sa) m ( krośa )
Scottish Gaelic: gairm f , ràn
Slovak: výkrik , volanie
Slovene: krik (sl) m
Spanish: grito (es) m
Swahili: kiliyo (sw)
Swedish: skri (sv) , skrik (sv)
Telugu: కేక (te) ( kēka ) , అరుపు (te) ( arupu )
Ukrainian: крик ( kryk )
Walloon: criyaedje (wa) m
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ǃXóõ: kxʻāa
words shouted or screamed
typical sound made by a given animal species
Translations to be checked
See also
References
cry in An American Dictionary of the English Language , by Noah Webster , 1828.
“cry ”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary , Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam , 1913 , →OCLC .
“cry ”, in The Century Dictionary [ … ] , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co. , 1911 , →OCLC .
Anagrams
Middle French
Etymology
From Old French cri .
Noun
cry m (plural crys )
cry ; shout
Descendants
Scots
Verb
cry (third-person singular simple present cries , present participle cryin , simple past cried , past participle cried )
to call , to give a name to
A body whit studies the history is cried a historian an aw.