crake

[kreyk]

noun

1. any of several short-billed rails, especially the corn crake.

crake

/ kreɪk /

noun

1. zoology any of several rails that occur in the Old World, such as the corncrake and the spotted crake

Word History and Origins

Origin of crake¹

1275–1325; Middle English < Old Norse krākr, krāki crow ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of crake¹

C14: from Old Norse krāka crow or krākr raven, of imitative origin

Example Sentences

She writes: “Try pronouncing it three times, thus: Oryx oryx oryx. Crake crake crake. You see?”

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All that is winged, even the grating corn crake, is painted with a mystical birder’s unworldly rose-colored pianistic glasses.

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The catalogue includes rare species such as the Henderson crake, which lives on only one small Pacific island.

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The Cedar Beach bird was only the second corn crake recorded in New York State since Grover Cleveland was president.

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And like the sea they teemed with invisible life: warblers, bitterns, spotted crakes, otters, water voles and marshland insects like reed leopard moths.

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