Croak
/kroʊk/noun
To make the harsh, hoarse sound of a frog or a person with a rough voice; also, informally, to die.
Did you know?The death-sense of *croak* is a later slang development, but the word’s gritty sound helped it drift from a frog’s rasp to a human last breath.
Etymological Timeline
Late Old English
English
crócian
“to make a croaking sound”
Middle English
English
croken / croken
“to croak like a frog or raven”
16th Century
English
croak
“to make a harsh, throaty sound”
19th Century
English
croak
“slang for to die or be killed”
Modern English
English
croak
“to make a hoarse sound; informally, to die”