Etymology

From Middle French cresserelle, crecerelle ‎(“bird of prey”), derivative of crecelle ‎(“rattle, wooden reel”) (modern crécelle), of obscure origin. Derivation from the assumed Vulgar Latin *crepicella, *crepitacillum, a diminutive of crepitāculum, from crepitāre ‎(“to crackle”) is difficult to explain from a morphological point of view. Instead, possibly from a root *krek-, *krak- ‎(“to crack, rattle, creak, emit a bird cry”), possibly from or related to Middle Dutch crāken ‎(“to creak, crack”), from Old Dutch *krakōn ‎(“to crack, creak, emit a cry”), from Proto-Germanic *krakōną ‎(“to emit a cry, shout”), from Proto-Indo-European *gerg- ‎(“to shout”). Cognate with Old High German krahhōn ‎(“to make a sound, crash”), Old English cracian ‎(“to resound”), Middle French craquer ‎(used of birds, “to emit a repeated cry”).