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Webster 1913 Edition

Crow

Crow

(krō)
,
Verb.
I.
[
imp.
Crew
(krṳ)
or
Crowed
(krōd)
;
p. p.
Crowed
(
Crown
(krōn)
,
Obs.
);
p. pr. & vb. n.
Crowing
.]
[AS.
crāwan
; akin to D.
kraijen
, G.
krähen
, cf. Lith.
groti
to croak. √24. Cf.
Crake
.]
1.
To make the shrill sound characteristic of a cock, either in joy, gayety, or defiance.
“The cock had crown.”
Bayron.
The morning cock
crew
loud.
Shakespeare
2.
To shout in exultation or defiance; to brag.
3.
To utter a sound expressive of joy or pleasure.
The sweetest little maid,
That ever
crowed
for kisses.
Tennyson.
To crow over
,
to exult over a vanquished antagonist.
Sennacherib
crowing over
poor Jerusalem.
Bp. Hall.

Crow

,
Noun.
[AS.
crāwe
a crow (in sense 1); akin to D.
kraai
, G.
krähe
; cf. Icel.
krāka
crow. So named from its cry, from AS.
crāwan
to crow. See
Crow
,
Verb.
I.
]
1.
(Zool.)
A bird, usually black, of the genus
Corvus
, having a strong conical beak, with projecting bristles. It has a harsh, croaking note. See
Caw
.
☞ The common crow of Europe, or carrion crow, is
Corvus corone
. The common American crow is
Corvus Americanus
. See
Carrion crow
, and Illustr., under
Carrion
.
2.
A bar of iron with a beak, crook, or claw; a bar of iron used as a lever; a crowbar.
Get me an iron
crow
, and bring it straight
Unto my cell.
Shakespeare
3.
The cry of the cock. See
Crow
,
Verb.
I.
, 1.
4.
The mesentery of a beast; – so called by butchers.
Carrion crow
.
See under
Carrion
.
–
Crow blackbird
(Zool.)
,
an American bird (
Quiscalus quiscula
); – called also
purple grackle
.
–
Crow pheasant
(Zool.)
,
an Indian cuckoo; the common coucal. It is believed by the natives to give omens. See
Coucal
.
–
Crow shrike
(Zool.)
,
any bird of the genera
Gymnorhina
,
Craticus
, or
Strepera
, mostly from Australia.
–
Red-legged crow
.
See
Crough
.
–
As the crow flies
,
in a direct line.
–
To pick a crow
,
To pluck a crow
,
to state and adjust a difference or grievance (with any one).

Webster 1828 Edition

Crow

CROW

,
Noun.
[G., L.]
1.
A large black fowl, of the genus Corvus; the beak is convex and cultrated, the nostrils are covered with bristly feathers, the tongue is forked and cartilaginous. This is a voracious fowl, feeding on carrion and grain, particularly maiz, which it pulls up, just after it appears above ground.
To pluck or pull a crow, is to be industrious or contentious about a trifle, or thing of no value.
2.
A bar of iron with a beak, crook or two claws, used in raising and moving heavy weights.
3.
The voice of the cock. [See the Verb.]

CROW

,
Verb.
I.
pret. and pp. crowed; formerly, pret. crew. [Gr. See the Noun.]
1.
To cry or make a noise as a cock, in joy, gaiety or defiance.
2.
To boast in triumph; to vaunt; to vapor; to swagger. [A popular, but not an elegant use of the word.]

Definition 2024

Crow

Crow

See also: crow

English

Pronunciation

  • enPR: krō, IPA(key): /kroʊ/

Proper noun

Crow

  1. A Native American tribe.
  2. The Siouan language of this tribe.

External links

Etymology 2

Proper noun

Crow

  1. A surname​.

crow

crow

See also: Crow

English

A bird; a crow: American crow

Noun

crow ‎(plural crows)

  1. A bird, usually black, of the genus Corvus, having a strong conical beak, with projecting bristles; it has a harsh, croaking call.
    • 1922, E.R. Eddison, The Worm Ouroborus:
      Gaslark in his splendour on the golden stairs saying adieu to those three captains and their matchless armament foredoomed to dogs and crows on Salapanta Hills.
  2. A bar of iron with a beak, crook, or claw; a bar of iron used as a lever; a crowbar.
    • 1796, Matthew Lewis, The Monk, Folio Society, published 1985, page 267:
      He approached the humble tomb in which Antonia reposed. He had provided himself with an iron crow and a pick-axe: but this precaution was unnecessary.
  3. The cry of the rooster.
  4. A gangplank (corvus) used by the Roman navy to board enemy ships.
  5. (among butchers) The mesentery of an animal.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
See also
Translations

External links

Etymology 2

Middle English crowen, from Old English crāwan (past tense crēow, past participle crāwen), from Proto-Germanic *krāhaną (compare Dutch kraaien, German krähen), from Proto-Indo-European *greh₂- ‘to caw, croak’ (compare Lithuanian gróti, Russian гра́ять ‎(grájatʹ)). Related to croak.

Verb

crow ‎(third-person singular simple present crows, present participle crowing, simple past crowed or (UK) crew, past participle crowed)

  1. To make the shrill sound characteristic of a rooster; to make a sound in this manner, either in joy, gaiety, or defiance.
    • (Can we date this quote?), Shakespeare, (Please provide the title of the work):
      The morning cock crew loud.
    • 1962, Bob Dylan (lyrics and music), “Don't Think Twice, It's All Right”, in The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan:
      When your rooster crows at the break o' dawn / Look out your window and I'll be gone.
  2. To shout in exultation or defiance; to brag.
    He's been crowing all day about winning the game of cards.‎
  3. To utter a sound expressive of joy or pleasure.
    • (Can we date this quote?), Tennyson, (Please provide the title of the work):
      the sweetest little maid that ever crowed for kisses
    • 1913, D.H. Lawrence, chapter 2, in Sons and Lovers:
      Hearing the miner's footsteps, the baby would put up his arms and crow.
  4. (music) To test the reed of a double reed instrument by placing the reed alone in the mouth and blowing it.
Usage notes

The past tense crew in modern usage is confined to literary and metaphorical uses, usually with reference (conscious or unconscious) to the story of Peter in Luke 22.60.

Translations

Etymology

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