crow

See also: Crow

English
A bird; a crow: American crow

Pronunciation
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /kɹəʊ/
  • (US) enPR: krō, IPA(key): /kɹoʊ/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -əʊ

Etymology 1

From Middle English crowe, from Old English crāwe, from Proto-West Germanic *krāā, from Proto-Germanic *krēǭ (compare West Frisian krie, Dutch kraai, German Krähe), from *krēaną (“to crow”). See below.

Noun

crow (plural crows)

  1. A bird, usually black, of the genus Corvus, having a strong conical beak, with projecting bristles; it has a harsh, croaking call.
    • 1922, E.R. Eddison, The Worm Ouroborus:
      Gaslark in his splendour on the golden stairs saying adieu to those three captains and their matchless armament foredoomed to dogs and crows on Salapanta Hills.
  2. Any of various dark-coloured nymphalid butterflies of the genus Euploea.
  3. A bar of iron with a beak, crook or claw; a bar of iron used as a lever; a crowbar.
    Synonym: crowbar
    • 1796, Matthew Lewis, The Monk, Folio Society, published 1985, page 267:
      He approached the humble tomb in which Antonia reposed. He had provided himself with an iron crow and a pick-axe: but this precaution was unnecessary.
    • 1953, Samuel Beckett, Watt, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Grove Press, published 1959, →OCLC:
      Watt might have broken the door down, with an axe, or a crow, or a small charge of explosive, but this might have aroused Erskine's suspicions, and Watt did not want that.
  4. (now rare, slang) Someone who keeps watch while their associates commit a crime; a lookout.
    • 1874, Marcus Clarke, For the Term of his Natural Life, Penguin, published 2009, page 53:
      “Ay,” put in a young man, who had the reputation of being the smartest “crow” in London—“‘fishers of men,’ as the parson says.”
  5. (historical) A gangplank (corvus) used by the Ancient Roman navy to board enemy ships.
  6. (among butchers) The mesentery of an animal.
  7. (derogatory) An ill-tempered and obstinate woman, or one who otherwise has features resembling the bird; a harpy.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:shrew
    • 1899, George Horton, A Fair Brigand‎, H.S. Stone, page 242:
      But it helps a man along to have a wife he can be proud of. Suppose you marry some old crow. People point at her and ask, 'Who is that death's head yonder?'
    • 1970, Paul J. Smith, 0:13 from the start, in Woody Woodpecker: "Seal on the Loose", spoken by Woody Woodpecker (Grace Stafford):
      (Mrs. Meany to Woody, from a window) "I don't care! I'm not running a pet shop."
      "Well it looks like one with an old crow in the window!"
  8. (ethnic slur, offensive, slang) A black person.
  9. (military, slang) The emblem of an eagle, a sign of military rank.
    • 2002, Ed Goodrich, Riggers that Dive, page 46:
      A young petty officer that must have just received his “crow” (a single chevron, with an eagle over it) was showing off to several seamen.
    • 2003, Jonathan T. Malay, Seraphim Sky, page 106:
      The young man had been threatened with loss of his third class rank, his “crow,” the eagle in a petty officer's sleeve insignia.
Derived terms
terms derived from crow (noun)
Translations
See also

Further reading

Etymology 2

The verb is from Middle English crowen, from Old English crāwan (past tense crēow, past participle crāwen), from Proto-West Germanic *krāan, from Proto-Germanic *krēaną, from imitative Proto-Indo-European *gerH- (“to cry hoarsely”).[1]

The noun is from Middle English crowe, from the verb.[2][3]

Compare Dutch kraaien, German krähen, Lithuanian gróti, Russian гра́ять (grájatʹ)). Related to croak.

Verb

crow (third-person singular simple present crows, present participle crowing, simple past crowed or (UK) crew, past participle crowed or (archaic) crown)

  1. (intransitive) To make the shrill sound characteristic of a rooster; to make a sound in this manner, either in gaiety, joy, pleasure, or defiance.
  2. (intransitive) To shout in exultation or defiance; to brag.
    He’s been crowing all day about winning the game of cards.
    • 2017 September 27, Julianne Tveten, “Zucktown, USA”, in The Baffler‎:
      Touting its sponsorship of local engineering and sustainability programs, Amazon crows about such “investments” as its dog park, playing fields, art installations, and Buckyball-reminiscent domical gardens.
    • 2023 October 7, Ajesh Patalay, quoting Margaret Cho, “The Naked Chef 2.0”, in FT Weekend‎, HTSI, page 77:
      Another of my favorite dishes, the Asian chicken salad, was inspired by a skit by comedian Margaret Cho (“This is not the salad of my people…” she crows).
  3. (intransitive, music) To test the reed of a double reed instrument by placing the reed alone in the mouth and blowing it.
Usage notes

The past tense crew in modern usage is confined to literary and metaphorical uses, usually with reference to the story of Peter in Luke 22.60. The past participle crown is similarly poetical.

Derived terms
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Noun

crow (plural crows)

  1. The cry of the bird known in the US as a rooster and in British English as a cockerel.
    Synonym: cock-a-doodle-doo

References
  1. “crow”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.
  2. James A. H. Murray [et al.], editors (1884–1928), “Crow (krōu), sb.2”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), volume II (C), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 1206, column 3: “f. Crow v.”
  3. “crou, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007: “From crouen .”

Further reading

Anagrams

Middle English

Noun

crow

  1. Alternative form of crowe
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