Added 9 October 2026
creak
/kɹiːk/ noun
In Latin: crepitus Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about creak at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
A squeaking sound.
the creak of the floorboards gave him away
verb
-
Make a high-pitched, screeching noise.
The door creaked when I opened it slowly
Origin
From Middle English creken, criken, metathesis of Old English cearcian (“to chatter, creak, crash, gnash”), from Proto-West Germanic *krakōn (“to crash, crack, creak”), from Proto-Indo-European *gerh₂- (“to make a sound, cry hoarsely”), ultimately of imitative origin. Compare also Old English crǣccettan, crācettan (“to croak”), Albanian grykë (“throat”). More at crack.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)