Merriam-Webster's Word Central

September 22, 2009

squawk (verb): \SKWAWK\
What does it mean?: : to utter a harsh short scream
How do you use it?: "Chickens and ducks fluttered and squawked in their coops as they waited to be sold." (Janet Shaw, Meet Kirsten)
Are you a word wiz?: We've only told you half the story on "squawk": it has a second meaning. Which of the following do you think it is?

A. to complain or protest loudly or forcefully

B. to take the property of another without right and with the intention of keeping it

C. to ask earnestly or in the manner of a command

D. to shed hair or feathers with cast-off parts being replaced by new growth

It's nothing to squawk about, but folks started using "squawk" for the "harsh short scream" kind of squawking around 1820, and within fifty or so years, they'd started saying that someone who was complaining or protesting loudly or forcefully was squawking too. No one's certain where "squawk" comes from, but language scientists think it's probably a blend of the words "squall" (meaning "to cry out with a harsh sound") and "squeak" (meaning "to make a short shrill cry or noise").

Click here to cancel your e-mail subscription.