Pa. t. crew, crowed. Pa. pple. crowed, [crown]. Forms: 1–2 crawan, -en, 3–7 crowe, 4– crow; north. 3–6 crau, (krau), 4–5 crawe, 4– craw. Pa. t. 1–2 creow, 3 creuȝ, 3–4 cru, 3–6 creu, 4 crwe, 4–5 creew, 4–6 crewe, krew, 4– crew; also 6– crowed. Pa. pple. (1 crawen), 4–5 crowe(n, 7 crowne (9 crown); north. 6 crawin, 8 crawn; 6– crowed. [OE. cráwan strong vb. (créow, cráwen), which in the other WGerm. languages is weak (cf. BLOW): OS. *craian (MDu. kraeijen, Du. kraaijen, MLG. kreien, LG. kraien, kreien), OHG. chrâian, crâwan, crâen, (MHG. crâjen, crâen, krǣjen, krǣn, mod.G. krähen.) Originally an echoic word, and prob. of WG. origin. The strong pa. t. is still prevalent in sense 1, but in 2, 3 the weak form is used; the strong pa. pple. is only dialectal.]
1. intr. To utter the loud cry of a cock.
c. 1000. Ags. Gosp., Matt. xxvi. 75. Ær þam þe se cocc crawe. Ibid., 74. And hrædlice þa creow se cocc.
c. 1290. S. Eng. Leg., I. 416/460. At þe furste cocke þat creuȝ.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 15945 (Cott.). Þan bigan þe cok to crau.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Miller’s T., 501. Whan that the firste cok hath crowe anon.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VII. Prol. 114. Phebus crownit byrd … thryse had crawin cleir.
15[?]. Proph. Welshmen, in Thynne, Animadv., App. v. (1865), 117. A yong coke that crowed wonderos bould.
1592. Shaks., Rom. & Jul., IV. iv. 3. The second Cocke hath crow’d.
1611. Bible, Luke xxii. 60. While he yet spake, the cocke crew.
1717. Berkeley, Tour in Italy, Wks. IV. 532. The column … on which the cock stood when he crowed.
1814. Scott, Ld. of Isles, V. xiii. The black-cock deem’d it day, and crew.
1834. H. Miller, Scenes & Leg., xiv. (1857), 214. The cock had crown.
1842. Tennyson, Will Waterproof, xvi. The Cock … Crow’d lustier late and early.
1874. Dasent, Tales fr. Fjeld, 66. He stood on one leg and crew.
† b. Rarely of other cries, as that of the raven.
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 336. Evre croweth thi wrecche crei, That he ne swiketh niȝt ne dai.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Miller’s T., 191. He syngeth crowyng as a nightyngale.
1483. Cath. Angl., 83. To Crowe … crocitare vel crocare, coruorum est.
c. quasi-trans.
1393. Gower, Conf., II. 102. There is no cock to crowe day.
1816. Scott, Antiq., xxi. ‘What for the red cock didna craw her up in the morning.’
2. transf. Of persons: To utter a loud inarticulate sound of joy or exultation; said esp. of the joyful cry of an infant.
1579. Spenser, Sheph. Cal., Feb., 40. And crowing in pypes made of greene corne, You thinken to be Lords of the yeare.
1589. Greene, Menaphon (Arb.), 28. More he [the baby] crowde, more we cride.
1600. Shaks., A. Y. L., II. vii. 30. My Lungs began to crow like Chanticleere.
1722. De Foe, Col. Jack (1840), 45. He … began to crow and holla like a mad boy.
1782. Mad. D’Arblay, Diary, 30 Oct. [The] child … laughed and crowed the whole time.
a. 1863. Thackeray, D. Duval, iii. [The] baby … would … crow with delight.
3. fig. To speak in exultation; to exult loudly, boast, swagger. To crow over: to triumph over.
1522. Skelton, Why not to Court, 65. Dicken, thou krew doutlesse.
1588. J. Udall, Demonstr. Discip. (Arb.), 40. They crow ouer them as if they wer their slaues.
1588. Greene, Pandosto (1843), 27. So his wife … beganne to crow against her goodman.
1655. Gurnall, Chr. in Arm. (1669), 92/1. Hagar … began to contest with, yea, crow over her Mistress.
1776. Johnson, Lett. to Mrs. Thrale, 18 May. He crows and triumphs.
1800. Weems, Washington, iii. (1877), 23. The party favoured would begin to crow.
1841. J. H. Newman, Lett. (1891), II. 337. We must not crow till we are out of the wood.
1844. Dickens, Mart. Chuz., xx. I’m not going to be crowed over by you.
Mod. He crowed over them.
