Where does “cry” come from?
Cry comes from Middle English crien, from Old French crier, from Frankish krītan, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European greyd-.
cry (English): To shed tears; to weep; To utter loudly; to call...
Definitions
- To shed tears; to weep; To utter loudly; to call...
Ancestry of “cry”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | crien | to shout; to cry out |
| 2 | Old French | crier | to cry out; to shout |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | critare | — |
| 4 | Latin | quirito | I call upon for help; I scream, shriek; I protest... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱwey- | to hiss, to whistle, to whisper; to shine, white,... |