entry
cry
/kraɪ/utter a loud sound or shed tears
From Classical Latin quīritāre (to wail or shriek).
from Vulgar Latin *crītāre, generally thought to derive
from Old French crier
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English crien (13th century)
Word Ancestry
from Vulgar Latin *crītāre, generally thought to derive
from Old French crier
+1 more sourcefrom Middle English crien (13th century)
A Roman voice raised in anguish may be hiding inside this tiny English word. Latin quīritāre meant “to wail” or “shriek,” and it passed through Vulgar Latin *crītāre and Old French crier before arriving in Middle English as crien around the thirteenth century. English then made a dramatic semantic leap: the same word used for shouting, begging, and advertising aloud began to cover shedding tears, a meaning that largely displaced the older English verb weep by the sixteenth century. Nobody is certain where the Latin form came from; one ancient folk explanation linked it to the Quirites, Roman citizens supposedly called upon for help, while another theory hears an imitation of a squealing pig. So when someone cries today, the word still preserves two ancient scenes at once: a public voice ringing through a Roman street and private grief leaking from the eyes.
The Story
A Roman voice raised in anguish may be hiding inside this tiny English word. Latin quīritāre meant “to wail” or “shriek,” and it passed through Vulgar Latin *crītāre and Old French crier before arriving in Middle English as crien around the thirteenth century. English then made a dramatic semantic leap: the same word used for shouting, begging, and advertising aloud began to cover shedding tears, a meaning that largely displaced the older English verb weep by the sixteenth century. Nobody is certain where the Latin form came from; one ancient folk explanation linked it to the Quirites, Roman citizens supposedly called upon for help, while another theory hears an imitation of a squealing pig. So when someone cries today, the word still preserves two ancient scenes at once: a public voice ringing through a Roman street and private grief leaking from the eyes.
Modern Usage
A humorous description of producing tears, including from intense emotion, irritation, or manipulation.
Kin & Kindred
From 'quīritāre'·to wail or shriek
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Urban Dictionary
Wiktionary