queekv.
/kwiːk/, U.S. /kwik/ Now rare.
intransitive. Of a bird, animal, etc.: to make the sound ‘queek’; to squeak, to screech. Cf. queek int. and n.
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the world > animals > by noises > voice or sound made by animal > make sound [verb (intransitive)] > squeak or squeal
squeala1300
wheak1513
whick1693
queek1707
the world > animals > birds > sound or bird defined by > [verb (intransitive)] > make shrill sound
shrikec1200
pipe?a1500
whistlec1550
yelp1553
queek1707
gallow1825
wheetle1825
1707 in tr. M. Alemán Life Guzman d’Alfarache II. ix. 89 That Street, and others thro' which I was to pass, were full of Rabble, all queeking and grunting.
1865 L. M. Alcott in Our Young Folks Apr. 273 Soon baby Robin seemed quite comfortable, his eye brightened, he ‘queeked’ no more
1899 E. Selous Field Notes in Zoologist (1903) 7 374 Two of these little birds..come along, these little queekers, till they are only about three..paces from where I am, and ‘queek’ from that distance.
1921 J. Galsworthy To Let iii. viii. 282 An owl flew, queeking, queeking; a bat flitted by.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
queekint.n.
/kwiːk/, U.S. /kwik/ A. int.
Representing a high-pitched squeak or screech, such as the call of a bird or the squeal of a pig.
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1707 in tr. M. Alemán Life Guzman d'Alfarache II. ix. 89 Four or five lusty Rogues ran out of their Shops and hooted after me queek, queek, queek; and grunted like Hogs.
1836 W. MacGillivray Descr. Rapacious Birds Great Brit. 450 The cry of this bird [sc. the White-tailed Sea Eagle]..I have found it to be more correctly expressed by klick, klick, klick, or queek, queek, queek.
1852 J. W. Redfield Compar. Physiognomy xxiv. 182 This pig says, ‘Queek! queek!’
1861 W. M. Thackeray Roundabout Papers x, in Cornhill Mag. Feb. 252 Queek, queek, queek, go the fiddles, and then thrumpty thrump comes a pizzicato movement in Bob Major.
1899 E. Selous Field Notes in Zoologist (1903) 7 373 Two of these little birds are..uttering from time to time a shrill, quavering note that sounds like—or something like—‘queek, queek, queek, queek’.
1910 Our Young People Aug. 60/1 ‘Queek, queek,’ said the candy mice, ‘We wonder who will buy us.’
2002 Daily News Leader (Staunton, Va.) (Nexis) 23 Mar. 4 c Downy woodpeckers appear just about every day here at Belmont... Their ‘whinny’ call can be heard all year, but lately they have added their courtship call, described as ‘queek, queek’.
B. n.
A call or sound of this type.
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the world > animals > by noises > voice or sound made by animal > [noun] > squeak
rantling1693
queek1786
destication1820
wheak1828
the world > animals > birds > sound or bird defined by > [noun] > cry or call > thin or shrill
pew?a1500
yelping1593
pipe1721
whistle1784
queek1786
peek1834
pipe note1854
wheep1860
1786 M. A. Meilan tr. A. Berquin Children's Friend II. 14 No more of those loving queek, queek, queeks he used to utter!
1823 E. Moor Suffolk Words 301 A variety of words of nearly a like acute sound [as queak] are to be found to be cognate in sense also—queek, queech, shriek, skreech, skreek, squeek, squeel.
1832 Proc. Comm. Sci. & Corr. Zool. Soc. London 2 xxiii. 163 Cry in flight, a sharp, shrill Queek, Queek. Very wary birds.
1865 L. M. Alcott in Our Young Folks Apr. 273 A soft ‘Queek, queek!’ made her look up and listen. The sound came from..a half-fledged bird.
1908 D. H. M. Read Highways & Byways in Hampshire x. 178 The first ‘queek-queek, queek-queek’ had more note of surprise than aught else. But then came a fight worth the watching as the two past-masters of aërial flight circled and swerved.
1970 Chron.-Telegram (Elyria, Ohio) 20 Aug. 19/3 Our duckling's total vocabulary consisted of ‘peeps’ of different tempos and various ‘queeks’.
1998 L. Elliott & M. Read Common Birds & their Songs 40 An excited queek-queek-queek is given during courtship.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, December 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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v.1707int.n.1707