• Cry

    Pronunciation

    • IPA: /kɹaɪ̯/
    • Rhymes: -aɪ

    Origin

    From Middle English crien, from Old French crier,

    Medieval Latin crīdāre ("to cry out, shout, publish, proclaim")}, from Frankish *krītan ("to cry, cry out, publish"), from Proto-Germanic *krītaną ("to cry out, shout"), from Proto-Indo-European *greyd- ("to shout"). Cognate with Dutch krijten ("to cry"), Middle Low German krīten ("to cry, call out, shriek"), German kreißen ("to cry loudly, wail, groan"), Gothic 𐌺𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (kreitan, "to cry, scream, call out"), Middle Irish grith ("a cry"), Welsh gryd ("a scream").

    etymology note

    Alternate etymology connects the Medieval Latin word to Latin queri ("to complain") through the form quiritare ("to wail, shriek"), though the phonetic and semantic developments are difficult to trace.

    Middle English crien eventually displaced native Middle English galen ("to cry out") (from Old English galan), Middle English greden ("to cry out") (from Old English grǣdan), Middle English yermen ("to bellow, mourn, lament") (from Old English ġierman), Middle English hooen, hoen ("to cry out") (from Old Norse hōa), Middle English remen ("to cry, shout") (from Old English hrīeman, compare Old English hrēam ("noise, outcry, lamentation, alarm")), Middle English greten, graten ("to weep, cry, lament") (from Old English grǣtan and Old Norse grāta). More at greet, regret.

    Full definition of cry

    Verb

    1. (intransitive) To shed tears; to weep.That sad movie always makes me cry.
    2. (transitive) To utter loudly; to call out; to declare publicly.
      • ShakespeareAll, all, cry shame against ye, yet I'll speak.
      • BunyanThe man ... ran on, crying, Life! life! Eternal life!
    3. (ambitransitive) To shout, scream, yell.
      • Bible, Matthew xxvii. 46And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice.
    4. (intransitive) To utter inarticulate sounds, as animals do.
      • Bible, Psalms cxlvii. 9the young ravens which cry
      • ShakespeareIn a cowslip's bell I lie
        There I couch when owls do cry.
    5. (transitive) To cause to do something, or bring to some state, by crying or weeping.to cry oneself to sleep
    6. To make oral and public proclamation of; to notify or advertise by outcry, especially things lost or found, goods to be sold, etc.to cry goods
      • CrashawLove is lost, and thus she cries him.
    7. Hence, to publish the banns of, as for marriage.
      • JuddI should not be surprised if they were cried in church next Sabbath.

    Synonyms

    Antonyms

    Derived terms

    Terms derived from cry (verb)

    Noun

    cry

    (plural cries)
    1. A shedding of tears; the act of crying.After we broke up, I retreated to my room for a good cry.
    2. A shout or scream.I heard a cry from afar.
    3. Words shouted or screamed.a battle cry
    4. (collectively) A group of hounds.
      • ShakespeareA cry more tunable
        Was never hollaed to, nor cheered with horn.
    5. (obsolete, derogatory) A pack or company of people.
      • ShakespeareWould not this ... get me a fellowship in a cry of players?
    6. (ambitransitive, of an animal) A typical sound made by the species in question."Woof" is the cry of a dog, while "neigh" is the cry of a horse.
    7. A desperate or urgent request.
    8. (obsolete) Common report; gossip.
      • ShakespeareThe cry goes that you shall marry her.

    Derived terms

    Anagrams

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