crow1
[kroh]
- any of several large oscine birds of the genus Corvus, of the family Corvidae, having a long, stout bill, lustrous black plumage, and a wedge-shaped tail, as the common C. brachyrhynchos, of North America.
- any of several other birds of the family Corvidae.
- any of various similar birds of other families.
- (initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Corvus.
- crowbar(def 1).
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- as the crow flies, in a straight line; by the most direct route: The next town is thirty miles from here, as the crow flies.
- eat crow, Informal. to be forced to admit to having made a mistake, as by retracting an emphatic statement; suffer humiliation: His prediction was completely wrong, and he had to eat crow.
- have a crow to pick/pluck with someone, Midland and Southern U.S. to have a reason to disagree or argue with someone.
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Origin of crow1
before 900; Middle English crowe, Old English crāwe, crāwa; cognate with Old High German krāwa; akin to Dutch kraai, German Krähe
crow2
[kroh]
- to utter the characteristic cry of a rooster.
- to gloat, boast, or exult (often followed by over).
- to utter an inarticulate cry of pleasure, as an infant does.
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- the characteristic cry of a rooster.
- an inarticulate cry of pleasure.
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Origin of crow2
before 1000; Middle English crowen, Old English crāwan; cognate with Dutch kraaien, German krähen; see crow1
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comCrow
[kroh]
- a member of a Siouan people of eastern Montana.
- a Siouan language closely related to Hidatsa.
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Origin of Crow
1795–1805; translation of North American French (gens des) Corbeaux Raven (people), literal translation of Crow apsá˙loke a Crow Indian
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
squawkboastgloatstrutblowpratecacklebabblecrygaswhooprodomontademouthgurglejubilateflourishpuffswaggerblustertriumphExamples from the Web for crow
Contemporary Examples
“It tasted like a crow enchilada,” Morrissey said, as he literally ate his words.
The Chicago Bulls’ Joakim Noah Sounds Off on Weed, the Weather, and WinningBill Schulz
October 19, 2014
And a third is that we all paused a second to look at the red glow over Baltimore, 35 miles away as the crow flies.
Crow explained that his site put preventative measures in place to preclude trolls from reigning.
Crow married and says that midway through the Clinton presidency his wife began to nudge him to the left.
You could actually hear a crow in the distance when this happened.
Historical Examples
Methinks that Gascony is too small a cock to crow so lustily.
The White CompanyArthur Conan Doyle
If anything should happen, the call will be three croaks of a crow.
The Last of the MohicansJames Fenimore Cooper
She is not so infallible a markswoman, but that she might shoot at a crow and kill a pigeon.
Maid MarianThomas Love Peacock
His flight to the crow's nest had been an effort to escape its fury, but it had followed him there.
The Cruise of the Dry DockT. S. Stribling
This she did for some time, until the cock in the village began to crow.
The Chinese Fairy BookVarious
crow1
- any large gregarious songbird of the genus Corvus, esp C. corone (the carrion crow) of Europe and Asia: family Corvidae . Other species are the raven, rook, and jackdaw and all have a heavy bill, glossy black plumage, and rounded wingsSee also carrion crow Related adjective: corvine
- any of various other corvine birds, such as the jay, magpie, and nutcracker
- any of various similar birds of other families
- offensive an old or ugly woman
- short for crowbar
- as the crow flies as directly as possible
- eat crow US and Canadian informal to be forced to do something humiliating
- stone the crows stone
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Word Origin
Old English crāwa; related to Old Norse krāka, Old High German krāia, Dutch kraai
crow2
- (past tense crowed or crew) to utter a shrill squawking sound, as a cock
- (often foll by over) to boast one's superiority
- (esp of babies) to utter cries of pleasure
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- the act or an instance of crowing
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Word Origin
Old English crāwan; related to Old High German krāen, Dutch kraaien
Crow
- plural Crows or Crow a member of a Native American people living in E Montana
- the language of this people, belonging to the Siouan family
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for crow
n.
Old English crawe, imitative of bird's cry. Phrase eat crow is perhaps based on the notion that the bird is edible when boiled but hardly agreeable; first attested 1851, American English, but said to date to War of 1812 (Walter Etecroue turns up 1361 in the Calendar of Letter Books of the City of London). Crow's foot "wrinkle around the corner of the eye" is late 14c. Phrase as the crow flies first recorded 1800.
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v.
Old English crawian "make a loud noise like a crow" (see crow (n.)); sense of "exult in triumph" is 1520s, perhaps in part because the English crow is a carrion-eater. Related: Crowed; crowing.
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Crow
Indian tribe of the American Midwest, the name is a rough translation of their own name, Apsaruke.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with crow
crow
In addition to the idiom beginning with crow
- crown jewels
- crow over
also see:
- as the crow flies
- eat crow
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.