Crook
/kruːk/noun
A bent or curved shape, or a dishonest person.
Did you know?In Old English, *crook* could refer to a hook or bent staff, and that same curved shape later helped inspire the figurative sense of someone who is "crooked" in character.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*krōkaz
“hook, bend, crook”
Old English
OE
crōc
“a hook or bent staff”
Middle English
ME
crook
“a hook, bend, or shepherd's staff”
16th Century
English
crook
“a dishonest or deceitful person”
Modern English
English
crook
“a bent shape or a criminal”