Scream
/skriːm/noun
A loud, sharp cry of fear, pain, excitement, or intense emotion.
Did you know?The word is closely related to Old Norse and other Germanic forms for a shriek or cry, showing how human panic got frozen into a sound-word long before pop culture made it iconic.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skreumaną
“to cry out; to screech”
Old Norse
ON
skræma
“to frighten; to make a screaming sound”
Middle English
EN
scremen
“to cry out loudly; to shriek”
Late Middle English
EN
screme
“a loud cry or shriek”
Modern English
EN
scream
“a loud, sharp cry of fear, pain, or excitement”