Scrike
/skraɪk/noun
To shriek or utter a loud, piercing cry, especially in Scots and northern English dialects.
Did you know?Scrike belongs to a cluster of Germanic words for piercing cries whose harsh consonants seem to echo the sound they describe, a phenomenon linguists call sound symbolism.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic (possibly)
Germanic
*skrīkaną
“A reconstructed form associated with making a sharp or piercing cry; the exact ancestral pathway is uncertain.”
Old Norse
Old Norse
skrækja
“To shriek or cry out; a likely Scandinavian influence on later northern English forms.”
Middle English
Middle English
scriken
“To shriek, cry loudly, or make a piercing noise.”
15th–16th Century
Scots / Northern English
scrike
“To shriek or scream; used especially in regional speech.”
Modern English
English dialect
scrike
“A dialectal verb meaning “to shriek,” now uncommon outside Scots and northern English usage.”