English word origin

Etymology of cack

Onomatopoeia; see cackle.

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 4 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A squawk. · A discordant note. · A cackling goose (Branta hutchinsii)

verb

To squawk. · To incorrectly play a note by hitting a partial other than the one intended. · To laugh.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Onomatopoeia; see cackle.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To defecate. · To defecate (on); to shit. · To excrete (something) by defecation. · To kill.

noun

An act of defecation. · Excrement. · Rubbish; anything worthless.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English cakken, from Old English *cacian, from Old English cac (“dung; excrement”), from Latin cacāre (“excrete feces”). Cognate with English caca. Compare Dutch kakken (“to defecate”), German kacken (“to relieve oneself; defecate”), Latin cacō (“defecate”) (see there for more); compare also Irish cac (“feces, excrement”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentioncakkenenm
Inherited-form mention*cacianang
Derivation mentioncacang · dung; excrement
Derivation mentioncacārela
Cognate mentioncacaen
Cognate mentionkakkennl · to defecate
Cognate mentionkackende · to relieve oneself; defecate
Cognate mentioncacōla

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

Penis.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From cock.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗

noun

An inexpensive boot or shoe made in the 19th or early 20th century for a baby or young child. · A young child.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Of unknown origin. Possibly from Scots cack (“soft shoe”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentioncacksco

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

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Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

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Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-Y2Fjaw