Squawk
/skwɔːk/noun
To make a harsh, loud, shrill cry; also, a harsh cry or complaint.
Did you know?Unlike words with hidden mythic roots, *squawk* is an imitative sound-word, but its history shows how English often turns raw animal noise into a real, living verb.
Etymological Timeline
Early Modern English
English
squawken
“to cry out harshly or noisily”
17th Century
English
squawk
“a harsh, squawking cry; to cry out in that way”
Middle English
English
squaken
“to make a loud, shrill cry”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skwak-
“an imitative base suggesting a sharp, harsh cry”
Modern English
English
squawk
“to emit a harsh, shrill cry; a harsh cry or complaint”