Forms: (5 crok) 6–8 croke, 6–7 croake, 7– croak. [Croak sb. and vb. appears only about 1550; the 15th c. crok is not its exact equivalent phonetically; in the same sense ME. had also crouke, crowke: see CROOK v.2 It is possible that croak, with the northern parallel form crake, craik, goes back to an OE. *crácian, of which the recorded cræcetian to croak (said of ravens) may be a diminutive; but it is on the whole more probable that crouke, crok, croak, with crake, creak, crick, are later formations imitating or suggesting varieties of animal and other sounds.]
1. intr. To utter a deep, hoarse, dismal cry, as a frog or a raven.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., 99. Sely Capyll, oure hen … She kakyls, Bot begyn she to crok, To groyne or to clok.
1557. Tottel’s Misc. (Arb.), 200. Thou dunghyll crowe that crokest agaynst the rayne.
1595. Spenser, Epithal., 349. Th’ vnpleasant quyre of frogs still croking.
1602. Marston, Antonio’s Rev., III. iii. F 2 b. Now croakes the toad.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Ecl., I. 26. The hoarse Raven … By croaking from the left presag’d the coming Blow.
1835. W. Irving, Tour Prairies, 277. Ravens … flapping about and croaking dismally in the air.
1877. Amelia B. Edwards, Up Nile, xxii. 699. Meanwhile the frogs croaked furiously.
b. Of a hawk: see CROAK sb. 2.
1575. Turberv., Faulconrie, 250. You may perceyve these woormes to plague and trouble your hawke when she croakes in the night.
1618. Latham, 2nd Bk. Falconry (1633), 23. It breedeth much winde in them, the which … will appeare often with a rising in the gorge, and a noyse withall of croking.
2. transf. Of persons: † To groan or cry (obs.); to speak with a hoarse, hollow utterance; fig. to speak in dismal accents, talk despondingly, forebode evil (like the raven).
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., 108. I thoght Gylle began to crok, and travelle full sad.
1606. Shaks., Tr. & Cr., V. ii. 191. Would I could meete that roague Diomed, I would croke like a Rauen: I would bode, I would bode.
1797. Burke, Regic. Peace, iii. Wks. VIII. 389. They, who croak themselves hoarse about the decay of our trade.
1806. Metcalfe, in Owen, Wellesley’s Desp., 807. Without croaking, it may be observed that our government is upon a dangerous experiment.
1852. Mrs. Stowe, Uncle Tom’s C., II. xxii. 66. ‘Don’t be croaking, Cousin,—I hate it!’ he would say.
† 3. Of the stomach or bowels: To make a rumbling noise. Obs.
1547. [see CROAKING vbl. sb. 1].
1611. Cotgr., Gribouiller, to rumble or croake (as the guts doe through windinesse).
1682. N. O., Boileau’s Lutrin, IV. 330. My eager stomach crokes, and calls for Dinner!
a. 1704. T. Brown, Sat. on Fr. King, Wks. 1730, I. 60. When my starv’d entrails croke.
4. trans. To utter or proclaim by croaking.
1605. Shaks., Macb., I. v. 40. The raven himselfe is hoarse That croakes the fatall entrance of Duncan.
1791. Ep. to J. Priestley, in Poet. Reg. (1808), 401. Now half the bench of Bishops we may meet, Croaking ‘old clothes’ about St. James’s Street.
1847. Tennyson, Princess, IV. 106. Marsh-divers, rather, maid, Shall croak thee sister.
1879. Froude, Cæsar, xiii. 178. Bibulus, as each measure was passed, croaked that it was null and void.
5. slang. To die.
1812. in J. H. Vaux, Flash Dict.
1874. Slang Dict., Croak, to die—from the gurgling sound a person makes when the breath of life is departing.
