Where does “criken” come from?

criken (Middle English) comes from Old English cearcian, from Proto-West Germanic krakōn, from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- — to grow old, to mature.

Ancestry of “criken”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishcearcianto chatter, creak, crash, gnash
2Proto-West Germanickrakōnto crash, crack, creak
3Proto-Indo-Europeanǵerh₂-to grow old, to mature
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- →Every word from Proto-West Germanic krakōn →Every word from Old English cearcian →