Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “skriken” come from?

skriken (Middle English) comes from Old Norse skríkja, from Proto-Germanic skrīkijaną, from Proto-Germanic skrīhaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kerey- — to scream, screech; to scream, caw.

Ancestry of “skriken”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norseskríkjato shriek; to scream
2Proto-Germanicskrīkijanąto cry, scream, shriek
3Proto-Germanicskrīhanąto shout, scream; to cry out, proclaim
4Proto-Indo-European(s)kerey-to scream, screech; to scream, caw

Words derived from “skriken”

  • screech
  • screechy
  • scritch
  • screecher
  • scritchy
  • skrike
  • screechiness
  • scrike
  • screecheth
  • skrech
  • shritch
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kerey- →