Crane
/kreɪn/noun
A large long-necked wading bird, or a machine used for lifting heavy objects.
Did you know?English crane comes from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning “to cry out,” which also gave Latin words for the bird and helped shape a whole family of noisy, calling-related terms.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gerh₂- / *gṛh₂-
“to cry out, call, or make a harsh sound”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*kranô / *kranôn
“crane, the bird”
Old English
OE
cran
“crane, the bird”
Middle English
ME
crane
“crane, the bird”
Modern English
English
crane
“a large long-necked bird; later, a lifting machine named for its long neck”