*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of crake

From Middle English crak, crake, from Old Norse kráka (“crow”), from Proto-Germanic *krak-, *kra- (“to croak, caw”), from Proto-Indo-European *gerh₂-, itself onomatopoeic.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 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 ↗
verb

To cry out harshly and loudly, like a crake.

noun

Any of several birds of the family Rallidae that have short bills.

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

From Middle English crak, crake, from Old Norse kráka (“crow”), from Proto-Germanic *krak-, *kra- (“to croak, caw”), from Proto-Indo-European *gerh₂-, itself onomatopoeic.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentioncrakenm
  • Derivation mentionkrákanon · crow
  • Derivation mention*krak-gem-pro
  • Derivation mention*gerh₂-ine-pro
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "crak"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English crak"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "kráka",
        "t": "crow"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse kráka (“crow”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*krak-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *krak-"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*gerh₂-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *gerh₂-"
    },
    {
      "name": "onomatopoeic",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "onomatopoeic"
    },
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "Rallidae"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "crak",
      "crak#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "crake",
      "crake#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "kráka",
      "kráka#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "crow",
      "crow"
    ],
    [
      "*krak-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/krak-"
    ],
    [
      "*kra-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/kra-"
    ],
    [
      "*gerh₂-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/gerh₂-"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To cry out harshly and loudly, like a crake."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Any of several birds of the family Rallidae that have short bills."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A crack; a boast.

verb

To boast; to speak loudly and boastfully.

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

From Middle English craken, from Old English cracian, from Proto-West Germanic *krakōn. Cognate with Saterland Frisian kroakje, West Frisian kreakje, Dutch kraken, Low German kraken, French craquer (< Germanic), German krachen.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "craken"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English craken"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "cracian"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English cracian"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*krakōn"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *krakōn"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "kroakje"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian kroakje"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "kreakje"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian kreakje"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "kraken"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch kraken"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "kraken"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German kraken"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fr",
        "2": "craquer"
      },
      "expansion": "French craquer"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "krachen"
      },
      "expansion": "German krachen"
    }
  ],
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      "craken#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
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    ],
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/krakōn"
    ],
    [
      "kroakje",
      "kroakje#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "kreakje",
      "kreakje#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "kraken",
      "kraken#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "kraken",
      "kraken#Low_German"
    ],
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      "craquer",
      "craquer#French"
    ],
    [
      "krachen",
      "krachen#German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A crack; a boast."
      ],
      "tags": [
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      ],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for crake →

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
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Y3Jha2U