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cry

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cry

  • /kɹaɪ/ US, UK

Sounds like krai · Rhymes with -aɪ

Where it comes from

The verb is from Middle English crien (13th century), from Old French crier, from Vulgar Latin *crītāre, generally thought to derive from Classical Latin quirītāre (Proto-West Germanic *krītan has also been suggested as a source). The noun corresponds to Middle English cry, crie, from Old French cri, a deverbal of crier.

etymology note

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 hóa), 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 gráta). More at greet, regret.

Already in the 13th century, the meaning was extended to include the sense "to shed tears" (natively weep); cry used in this sense had mostly replaced weep by the 16th century.

verb cries · crying · cried · cry

  1. intransitive To shed tears; to weep, especially in anger or sadness. That sad movie always makes me cry.
  2. transitive To utter loudly; to call out; to declare publicly. All, all, cry shame against ye, yet I'll speak.
  3. ambitransitive To shout, scream, yell. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice.
  4. figuratively, intransitive To forcefully attract attention or proclaim one’s presence. My secrets cry aloud. I have no need for tongue.
  5. intransitive To utter inarticulate sounds, as animals do. the young ravens which cry
  6. transitive To cause to do something, or bring to some state, by crying or weeping. Tonight I’ll cry myself to sleep.
  7. To make oral and public proclamation of; to notify or advertise by outcry, especially things lost or found, goods to be sold, auctioned, etc. to cry goods
  8. Hence, to publish the banns of, as for marriage. I should not be surprised if they were cried in church next Sabbath.

Similar: bawl, blubber, sob, wail, weep, whimper

noun 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. A clamour or outcry. His pupil, Maimonides, that he might not be under the necessity of violating the laws of friendship and gratitude, by joining the general cry against Averroes, left Corduba.
  5. archaic, collective A group of hounds. A cry more tunable / Was never hollaed to, nor cheered with horn.
  6. broadly, derogatory, obsolete A pack or company of people. Would not this […] get me a fellowship in a cry of players?
  7. A typical sound made by the species in question. "Woof" is the cry of a dog, while "neigh" is the cry of a horse.
  8. A desperate or urgent request.
  9. obsolete Common report; gossip. The cry goes that you shall marry her.

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