tocrack

The story

1. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*krakōn“to crack, crackle, shriek”
2. Old English · derived fromcracian“to make a cracking sound, crack”
3. Middle English · inherited fromtocraken“to cause a cracking sound by breaking something with a lot of force; to fracture”
4. English todaytocrack

From Middle English tocraken (“to cause a cracking sound by breaking something with a lot of force; to fracture”), from Old English cracian (“to make a cracking sound, crack”), from Proto-West Germanic *krakōn (“to crack, crackle, shriek”), equivalent to to- + crack.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from the early 14th c. to the late 15th c. To crack, fracture, fissure; to break with a cracking sound.