shriek (English)

Where does "shriek" come from?

The English verb 'shriek' traces back through Middle English 'scrycke'[1], drawing from North Germanic roots derived from Proto-Germanic '*skrīkijaną'[1]. This Germanic ancestor is also connected to forms meaning to shout or scream[2]. Over time, the term developed alongside variants like obsolete 'shrick' and earlier forms such as 'screak'[1].

Open questions

• The exact relationship between the North Germanic source forms and the subsequent English variants involves reconstructed Proto-Germanic forms. [1] [2]

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.'
  • derived shrick (English)
    • derived screak (English), 'shriek; screech'
      • inherited scrycke (Middle English)
        • borrowed (North Germanic)
          • inherited *skrīkijaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to cry, scream, shriek'

Ancestors

• *skrīkijaną (Proto-Germanic)

Cognates and doublets

• skrige (Danish)
• screech (English)
• skríkja (Icelandic)
• skrika (Swedish)

Descendants and derived words

• ashriek (English)
• shrieking sixties (English)

Sources

1. shriek (English) - Wiktionary
2. skrīkijaną (Proto-Germanic) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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