shriek (English)

Where does "shriek" come from?

The word 'shriek' traces its roots back to the Proto-Germanic term *skrīkijaną, which described a sharp cry or scream. It evolved through Middle English as 'scrycke' and later appeared as 'shrick' and 'screak,' sharing a common ancestry with North Germanic languages like Swedish and Icelandic. The word is also closely related to 'screech,' both capturing the intense, shrill sound implied by their ancient Germanic origins.

Full etymology tree

• shriek (English), 'To utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry, as do some birds and beasts; to scream, as in a sudden fright, in horror or anguish.'
  • inherited shrick (Early Modern English)
    • inherited scrycke (Middle English)
      • inherited *skrīkijaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to cry, scream, shriek'
        • inherited *skrīaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to caw, screech'
  • inherited shreke (Early Modern English)
    • inherited scrycke (Middle English)
      • inherited *skrīkijaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to cry, scream, shriek'
        • inherited *skrīaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to caw, screech'

Direct ancestors

• skrīkijaną (Proto-Germanic)
• skríkja (Icelandic)
• skrika (Swedish)
• skrige (Danish)
• screech (English)

Updated July 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris