cry
To shed tears; to call out loudly in distress, pain, or sorrow.
Etymology
From Middle English crien, from Old French crier (to cry, call out), from Vulgar Latin *critāre, from Latin quirītāre (to wail, to call for help from citizens). The Latin verb derives from Quirītēs (Roman citizens), so to cry originally meant 'to call upon the citizens for help.' The modern sense of shedding tears developed later in English, merging the idea of calling out with weeping.
The Journey: *kerh₂- → cry
quirītāre
*critāre
crier
crien
cry
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *kerh₂-. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| French | crier — to shout |
| Italian | gridare — to shout |
| Spanish | gritar — to shout |
| Portuguese | gritar — to shout |
Did You Know?
To cry originally meant to call for help, not to weep. A town crier was the original meaning — someone who cried out news. The 'shedding tears' sense emerged in Middle English, eventually becoming the primary meaning.
This word descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *kerh₂-. See the full root page for descendant trees, sound law references, and scholarly discussion.