croak

Meanings

Noun

• A faint, harsh sound made in the throat.
• The call of a frog or toad. (see also ribbit)
• The harsh call of various birds, such as the raven or corncrake, or other creatures.

Verb

• To make a croak.
• To utter in a low, hoarse voice.
• To make its sound.
• To die.
• To kill someone or something.
• To complain; especially, to grumble; to forebode evil; to utter complaints or forebodings habitually.

Origin

• From Middle English *croken, crouken, (also represented by craken > crake), back-formation from Old English crācettan ("to croak") (also in derivative crǣcettung), from Proto-Germanic *krēk- (compare Swedish kråka, German krächzen), from Proto-Indo-European *greh₂-k- (compare Latin grāculus ("jackdaw"), Serbo-Croatian grákati).