creak

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*gerh₂-“to make a sound, cry hoarsely”
2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*krakōn“to crash, crack, creak”
3. Old English · inherited fromcearcian“to chatter, creak, crash, gnash”
4. Middle English · inherited fromcreken
5. English todaycreak

From Middle English creken, criken, metathesis of Old English cearcian (“to chatter, creak, crash, gnash”), from Proto-West Germanic *krakōn (“to crash, crack, creak”), from Proto-Indo-European *gerh₂- (“to make a sound, cry hoarsely”), ultimately of imitative origin. Compare also Old English crǣccettan, crācettan (“to croak”), Albanian grykë (“throat”). More at crack.

Words from the same roots