crack
/kɹæk/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.41 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To alternate between high and low register in the process of eventually lowering.
Intransitive verb
Example Sentences
- "It's been so dry, the ground is starting to crack."
- "When I tried to stand on the chair, it cracked."
- "Anyone would crack after being hounded like that."
- "When we showed him the pictures of the murder scene, he cracked."
- "The bat cracked with authority and the ball went for six."
- "His voice cracked with emotion."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gerh₂- Proto-Indo-European *gerg-der. Proto-West Germanic *krakōn Old English cracian Middle English crakken English crack From Middle English crakken, craken, from Old English cracian (“to resound, crack”), from Proto-West Germanic *krakōn (“to crack, crackle, shriek”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gerh₂- (“to resound, cry hoarsely”). Cognate with Scots crak (“to crack”), West Frisian kreakje (“to crack”), Dutch kraken (“to crunch, creak, squeak”), Low German kraken (“to crack”), German krachen (“to crash, crack, creak”), Lithuanian gi̇̀rgžděti (“to creak, squeak”), Old Armenian կարկաչ (karkačʻ), Sanskrit गर्जति (gárjati, “to roar, hum”). Compare typologically English crevice (<< Latin crepō), Bulgarian пукнатина (puknatina) (akin to пу́кам (púkam)), Russian тре́щина (tréščina) (akin to треск (tresk)), щель (ščelʹ) (akin to щёлкать (ščólkatʹ)).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: crakken, cracian, *krakōn, *gerh₂-
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /kɹæk/
- British English: /kɹæk/
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
Frequently Paired Words
Synonyms
one's egg cracks
approach
cohabit
common
company
copulate
couple
engage in sex
exchange flesh
have intimate relations
have marital relations
have sex