screechn.¹int.

Brit.

/skriːtʃ/, U.S.

/skritʃ/

Forms: 1500s skreeche, 1500s– screech, 1600s screach, 1600s screitch, 1600s scriech, 1600s scrietch, 1600s–1700s skreech, 1600s–1700s skriech, 1700s skreetch.

Origin: A variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymon: scritch n.¹

Etymology: Variant (with vowel lengthening) of scritch n.¹ Compare slightly later screech owl n. and later screech v. Compare also earlier screak n., shrike n.¹, shritch n., and later shriek n., skreigh v.

a. A loud shrill cry, often expressing sudden pain or alarm; a loud shrill call of an animal. Also in figurative contexts.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > cry or shout (loudness) > cry of emotion or pain > [noun] > scream or shriek

squealingc1325

skriking1340

shrikingc1374

shritchingc1374

skrikea1400

blaringc1440

shritch1470

scritchinga1500

shrikea1500

screak1513

skirl1513

wauling1533

wrawling1533

screamingc1540

scritch1548

skreighc1550

shright1558

screech1560

screaking1565

screeching1589

shriek1590

shrill1591

shirl1598

shrieking1602

screama1616

squalling1677

squall1709

squeal1747

skelloch1808

skreighing1816

skirling1820

sharming1823

shriekery1865

squee1938

1560 T. H. tr. Ovid Fable Narcissus sig. ij^v Ecco..the dobbeler of skreeche [rhyme speche; L. resonabilis Echo].

1614 J. Sylvester Bethulia's Rescue ii. 238 Th' one insulting proud; Th' other in skrieches, and sad cryes, as loud, Deafned the shores.

1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey i. 11 A great lamentation, accompanied with grones and skreeches.

1628 Ld. Carleton in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1824) 1st Ser. III. 259 But to returne to the screeches made att the fatall blow given.

1673 J. Flavell Fountain of Life xii. 149 O what a fearful scriech will thy Conscience give.

1722 D. Defoe Jrnl. Plague Year 95 A Woman gave three frightful Skreetches.

1743 N. Appleton Several Disc. Romans VIII. xiv 93 Draw forth Teares, yea, to cause Schreetches and screamings out.

a1822 P. B. Shelley Poet. Wks. (1870) II. 532 He sang a song which was more of a screech [rhyme ditch] 'Gainst a woman that was a brute.

1864 J. C. Geikie George Stanley vii. 131 Suddenly an unearthly sound broke from one side, a sort of screech.

1905 Outing Aug. 614/2 The big cat sprang violently aside, with a spitting screech of terror.

1990 K. von Trojan Mars in Scorpio 142 The cockatoos take wing, their startled screeches fading into the distance.

2010 Daily Mail 18 Mar. 18 A..teen sitting behind me let out such a God-almighty screech she almost knocked herself out.

b. A loud, harsh, high-pitched noise. Also (and earliest) as int., representing this noise.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > unpleasant quality > shrill quality > [noun] > shriek, screech, or scream

scritchinga1500

shrikea1500

scream1513

screamingc1540

scrivec1540

shriek1599

screeching1753

skirling1820

screech1821

screel1835

shriekery1865

1821 M. Edgeworth Rosamund I. 201 Creak, creak, creak, screech, went the door.

1863 N. Hawthorne Our Old Home II. 85 We could hear the galloping sweep of a railway train..and its discordant screech.

1917 E. F. Wood Note-bk. Intelligence Officer xxii. 345 German high explosive shells..arrive with a crescendo screech, and burst about us with loud ‘blaams’.

1982 S. Brett Murder Unprompted (1984) iii. 31 A car door slammed, a powerful engine started, and there was a screech of tyres.

2000 P. Pullman Amber Spyglass (2001) xvi. 224 The air rang with the pounding of mighty hammers and the clangorous screech of iron on stone.

2. Chiefly regional. Any of various birds having a harsh high-pitched call, as the barn owl ( Tyto alba), the common swift ( Apus apus), the mistle thrush ( Turdus viscivorus), and the American screech owl ( Megascops asio). Cf. screech owl n. 1, scritch owl n. 1. Now rare.In quot. 1777-8 showing similar use of scritch n.¹ See also Compounds 1.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > birds > sound or bird defined by > [noun] > cry or call > harsh > bird having harsh cry

screecha1657

yawper1678

a1657 G. Daniel Poems (1878) I. 175 Where the owle And yelling Screitch, (full of portent and Fate) Late kept.

1777–8 R. Wight Horæ Subsecivæ (MS Bodl. Eng. lang. d.66) 384 [In Devon] A Scritch, a Homescritch—Turdus... Perhaps the Mistletoe Thrush in other Counties.]

1802 G. Montagu Ornithol. Dict. Swift... Screech, or Screech Martin.

1802 G. Montagu Ornithol. Dict. Screech, vide Thrush-missel.

a1822 P. B. Shelley tr. J. W. von Goethe Scenes from Faust in Posthumous Poems (1824) 401 Are the screech, the lapwing, and the jay, All awake as if 'twere day?

1852 F. O. Morris Hist. Brit. Birds II. 75 Swift... Black Martin. Screech.

1878 National Mus. Proc. 1 134 Scops asio.—Little Mottled Owl; Screech. This Owl is quite abundant at Stockton.

1885 C. Swainson Provinc. Names Brit. Birds 1 Missel Thrush..Holm thrush, Holm cock, Holm screech (Cornwall, Devon, Dorset).

1916 Notes & Queries Dorset & Somerset 15 42 Screeches, Swifts.

1957 H. Hall Parish's Dict. Sussex Dial. (new ed.) 112/2 Screech, the swift. Also called Squeaker and Deviling.

Compounds

C1. attributive in (chiefly regional) names of birds with a harsh high-pitched call (cf. sense 2), as screech bird, screech-cock, screech-devil, †screech-drossle, screech hawk, screech martin. Now chiefly historical. See also screech owl n.Quot. 1726 apparently shows interruption of the compound screech owl n. by a parenthesis (in verse).

ΚΠ

1726 C. Ellison Most Pleasant Descr. Benwell 460 Those Screech (Birds, call'd) Owls.]

1802 G. Montagu Ornithol. Dict. Swift... Screech, or Screech Martin.

1812 J. Dubourdieu Statist. Surv. Antrim i. 127 The screech-cock (turdus viscivorus) is now frequent.

1837 W. Macgillivray Hist. Brit. Birds II. 114 Turdus viscivorus. The Missel Thrush... Screech Thrush.

1842 Penny Cycl. XXIII. 363/1 The Common Swift..is the..Screech Martin..and Black Martin of the country-people.

1867 Notes & Queries 5 Oct. 273/2 Almost all the provincial names of the Swift seem to indicate something unholy, as Devling, Devilet, Sker-devil, Screech-devil, &c.

1868 R. W. Huntley Gloss. Cotswold (Gloucs.) Dial. 60 Screech-drossle, the missel-thrush.

1885 C. Swainson Provinc. Names & Folk Lore Brit. Birds 6 Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)... Called from its harsh cry before rain..Screech bird; Screech thrush (Stirling).

1901 Amer. Anthropologist 3 674 A sort of screech-hawk or sparrow-hawk is called in Ojibwa sakwatamo.

1915 A. Warwick Chalk Line xii. 227 They have a whistle over there, like a screech-devil, for Ping to call him if he needs him.

1957 W. L. McAtee Folk-names Canad. Birds 51 Blue Jay..screech bird. (From its notes [i.e. its raucous calls]. N[ew] B[runswick]).

1981 W. B. Lockwood in Y. L. Arbeitman & A. R. Bomhard Bono Homini Donum xvi. 193 The fieldfare is a noisy species... The most prominent call is a harsh cha-cha-cha-chack.., hence screech bird.

1994 Times 10 Nov. 4/1 Nightjars, also known as screech or moth hawks, had been in steep decline.

1996 C. I. Macafee Conc. Ulster Dict. Screech-cock.., screech thrush, a bird: the mistle thrush, Turdus viscivorus.

2002 W. Fiennes Snow Geese (2003) iv. 139 These were common swifts, Apus apus,..known variously as skeer devils, swing devils, jack squealers, screech martins, shriek owls or screeks—names that alluded to the bird's fiendish screaming flight and diabolic black appearance.

C2. attributive, with the sense ‘loud and shrill’.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > unpleasant quality > shrill quality > [adjective] > shriek, screech, or scream

scritching1577

shriekinga1586

skriking1632

skirling1786

screechy1834

shrieky1848

screecha1854

the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > cry or shout (loudness) > cry of emotion or pain > [adjective] > scream or shriek

wrawling1533

shreaming1565

scritching1577

shriking1583

shriekinga1586

screeching1602

screaming1616

in a screek1681

squalling1712

skirling1786

shrieky1848

screecha1854

squally1862

a1854 Ld. Cockburn Memorials (1856) iii. 179 A wild-looking..man, with sandy hair, a screech voice, and staring eyes.

1919 P. R. Lloyd tr. A. A. Pons Holocaust viii. 171 A small, grey-haired man, with..a screech-voice.

2011 M. M. Fleifil et al. in C. E. Baukal Internal Combustion Testing viii. 201/1 Screech tones are distinct narrowband frequency sound that can be described as a ‘whistle’ or a ‘screech’.

C3.

screech beetle n. a small aquatic beetle of the genus Hygrobia, esp. H. hermanni, which has bulging eyes and makes a squeaking noise by rubbing the tip of the abdomen against the underside of the wing cases. Hygrobia is the only genus in the family Hygrobiidae.Also called squeak beetle.

ΚΠ

1858 W. A. Lloyd List of Whatever relates to Aquaria iii. 40 Pælobius Hermannii. The Screech Beetle.

1979 Country Life 21 June 2043 The screech beetle.., a water insect of southern England, will squeak as a reaction of defiance.

2010 G. Hangay & P. Zborowski Guide to Beetles Austral. 53 Hygrobiidae. Screech beetles.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

screechn.²

Brit.

/skriːtʃ/, U.S.

/skritʃ/

Origin: Probably a variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymons: screak n. 3, skreigh n.²

Etymology: Probably an alteration of either screak n. 3 or skreigh n.², as a result of folk-etymological association with screech n.¹Sometimes interpreted by folk etymology as deriving from the crowing of the cock at dawn (compare cockcrow n.). Perhaps compare also the following quotations in which a shriek of despair is associated with the cold light of morning:1807 Lady Morgan Patriotic Sketches Ireland I. x. 158 The heaviest curse that vengeance breathes upon the object of its direst hatred is, ‘the screech of the morning be upon you’. [Footnote] When the dawn rises for the first time on the remains of a beloved and deceased object, those feelings of sorrow which were till then faintly expressed, or silently betrayed, become wild or vehement in their indulgence; and the shriek of despair which ushers in the dawn's grey light to the bed of death, may indeed well be considered as an anathema by the ear and the heart on which it falls.1816 T. Kennedy Poems 231 This tongue will curse them down to endless night, Theirs be the screech of morn.

Break of day, dawn, etc. Cf. screak n. 3, skreigh n.², skrike n. 2.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > day and night > day or daytime > dawn > [noun]

aristc825

dawingc900

dayeOE

day-rimOE

day-redOE

mornOE

lightOE

lightingOE

dawning1297

day-rowa1300

grekinga1300

uprista1300

dayninga1325

uprisingc1330

sun arisingc1350

springc1380

springingc1380

day-springa1382

morrowingc1384

dayingc1400

daylighta1425

upspring1471

aurora1483

sky1515

orienta1522

breaking of the day1523

daybreak1530

day-peep1530

morrow dayc1530

peep of the morning1530

prick of the day?1533

morning1535

day-breaking1565

creek1567

sunup1572

breach of the day1579

break of day or morn1584

peep of day1587

uprise1594

dawna1616

day-dawn1616

peep of dawn1751

strike of day1790

skreigh1802

sunbreak1822

day-daw1823

screech1829

dayclean1835

sun dawn1835

first light1838

morning-red1843

piccaninny sun1846

piccaninny daylightc1860

gloaming1873

glooming1877

sparrow-fart1886

crack1887

sun-spring1900

piccaninny dawn1936

1829 Christian Examiner, & Church of Ireland Mag. Sept. 196 He set out one morning at screech of day.

1863 J. Nicolson Kilwuddie 51 Sae jist at the screech o' mornin' Some ane's lamp had caught a thrum, Set the hale affair a burnin'.

1883 F. M. Crawford Dr. Claudius iii. 44 I am a very early person. I get up at the screech of dawn.

1948 C. Beaton Diary 10 Mar. in Self Portrait with Friends (1979) xvi. 208 She works frenetically, getting out of bed at screech of dawn.

2006 Buffalo (N.Y.) News (Nexis) 4 June m18 She slept late, while I paid a lot of money to, at the screech of dawn, spin in an aerobatic biplane for an hour.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

screechn.³

Brit.

/skriːtʃ/, U.S.

/skritʃ/

Forms: 1900s– screech, 1900s– screetch.

Origin: Probably formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: screech n.¹

Etymology: Probably a humorous extended use of screech n.¹, perhaps resulting from association with skreigh n.³ (compare discussion at that entry).

1. slang. Any cheap or strong alcoholic drink, esp. liquor.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > distilled drink > whisky > [noun]

usquebaugh1581

creature1638

corn-brandy1704

whisky1715

usque1728

spunkiea1796

skreigh1813

the stuff1828

snake poison1842

tanglefoot1860

whisky-straight1864

oil1869

Auld Kirk1884

snake juice1890

screech1902

scat1914

pinch bottle1916

screecham1923

juice1932

malt1967

the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > types or qualities of intoxicating liquor > [noun] > strong

strong drinkc1405

ipse1634

knock-down1698

hogan1702

knock-me-down1756

milk1784

hot stuff1823

chain lightning1825

sudden death1834

hardware1835

stagger-juice1905

sting1929

strongers1939

screech1944

rocket fuel1958

1902 J. S. Farmer & W. E. Henley Slang VI. i. 126/1 Screech, whiskey.

1944 T. H. Wisdom Triumph over Tunisia viii. 68 The famous and kindly Peres Blanc from the Monastery at near-by Thibar had supplied them with drink from the monks' own cellars, and the popular drink was one that had been aptly christened ‘Screech’ by ‘111’.

1959 Manch. Guardian 7 July 7/4 There has been some concern at the violence during fights ashore between servicemen following the drinking of a local concoction known in the service [sc. the Navy] as ‘Screech’. It is made of a local wine, ‘Imbeet’, mixed with Coca Cola.

1964 C. Rougvie Medal from Pamplona vi. 80 ‘Beer and screech.’ ‘Screech?’.. ‘It's a term embracing all cheap Canadian wines.’

2008 B. Schubart Lamoille Stories 73 This last purchase depleted his reserves, leaving only enough for four bottles of a homemade liquor known as ‘screech’.

2. Originally slang. A proprietary name for: a dark rum made in Newfoundland.Quot. 1944 apparently shows earlier application to a type of whisky.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > distilled drink > rum > [noun] > kinds of rum

Jamaica1775

white rum1816

New England1827

black jack1863

dark rum1864

black rum1872

light rum1872

Nelson's blood1905

Bacardi1921

pinga1928

navy1946

screech1946

anejo1983

1944 Montana Standard 11 Dec. 5/3 ‘Newfie Screech,’ the sergeant said, ‘is rotgut bootleg potato whisky which costs $8 a bottle.’]

1946 Lethbridge (Alberta) Herald 25 Jan. 2/8 The Russians..drink huge quantities of German liquor, some as harsh as ‘Newfie Screech’ (Newfoundland rum so named by the Royal Canadian Navy during the war).

1958 Maclean's 27 Sept. 63/3 Screech is a mixture of rums now sold by the liquor board under a new label that displays..the legend ‘Newfoundland's Famous Screech’.

1979 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 17 Oct. 6/1 Screech, the hairy-chested Newfoundland libation, is based on Jamaican rum.

2010 M. Horsdal Sweetness from Ashes xvii. 204 ‘So we're a flag-waver now, are we?’ asked Sheila. ‘Going to learn French? Eat salt cod and drink screech?’

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

screechv.

Brit.

/skriːtʃ/, U.S.

/skritʃ/

Forms: 1500s screche, 1500s skrech, 1500s–1600s screch, 1500s–1600s skreech, 1600s screach, 1600s scrietch, 1600s–1700s skriech, 1600s– screech, 1700s skrietch, 1700s– screetch.

Origin: A variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymon: scritch v.¹

Etymology: Variant (with vowel lengthening) of scritch v.¹ Compare earlier screech n.¹, screech owl n., and also earlier screak v., shriek v., shrike v., shritch v.

a. intransitive. To utter a loud shrill cry or screech; to scream or cry out with a loud shrill voice. Also with out.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > by noises > voice or sound made by animal > make sound [verb (intransitive)] > shriek

shritcha1250

scritcha1300

screamc1340

shriek1567

screech1577

screak1607

squall1630

sweara1728

stridulate1838

the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > unpleasant quality > shrill quality > sound shrill [verb (intransitive)] > shriek, screech, or scream

shrikec1200

scritcha1300

screech1577

scream1785

the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > cry or shout (loudness) > cry of emotion or pain > [verb (intransitive)] > scream or shriek

screama1200

shrikec1200

shreamc1230

shritcha1250

scritcha1300

squeala1300

skrike1340

skirlc1400

wrawlc1440

sharmc1485

screak?a1500

shrighta1542

shriek1567

screech1577

waul1601

bawl1605

squall1688

skreigh1718

screel1730

skelloch1808

squalino1810

to scream (also cry, yell, etc.) blue murder1828

rescream1858

1577 T. Kendall tr. Politianus et al. Flowers of Epigrammes f. 26^v Thou weepest still, thou skrechest shrill [L. fletumque ululatibus imples], thou halest from head thyne heares.

1602 J. Marston Antonios Reuenge iii. iii. sig. F2^v Now croakes the toad, & night crowes screech aloud.

1660 J. Howell Θηρολογια 23 Som of ripe age will screech, cry, and howle in so many disordered notes and singultient accents.

1704 London Post 28 June 2/1 The Nurse and 2 Maids who lay in a Room backwards, were heard to Skriech out a considerable time, in a most pitiful manner.

1794 C. I. La Trobe tr. G. H. Loskiel Hist. Mission United Brethren i. iii. 44 An Indian hunter hears an owl screech in the night.

1862 Mrs. H. Wood Mrs. Halliburton's Troubles III. x. 114 I screeched out all the more..when I remembered the quarrel that had took place at dinner.

1888 W. E. Henley Bk. Verses 152 A draggled fishwife screeches at the gates.

1918 Munsey's Mag. Jan. 730/2 I've got a sister..and she screeches over bugs, rats, dogs [etc.].

1961 A. Hosain Sunlight on Broken Column (1988) i. xvi. 89 A monkey screeched, a high note suddenly dropping low.

2010 K. Colburn & R. Sorensen How to have your Second Child First 120 An infant screeching like a baby condor.

b. transitive. To utter (something) in a loud shrill voice. Frequently with direct speech as object.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > speech > manner of speaking > say in a particular manner [verb (transitive)] > in shrill voice

pipe1567

shrill1595

treble?1624

screech1639

the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > quality of voice > impart specific tone or quality [verb (transitive)] > utter in shrill voice

pipe1567

shrill1595

screech1639

the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > cry or shout (loudness) > cry of emotion or pain > [verb (transitive)] > scream or shriek

screak1569

shriek1593

screech1639

squall1703

scream1710

skreigh1786

1639 J. Sherburne tr. Ovid Heroical Epist. sig. B5^v Th'ominous owle screecht our sad mariage song.

a1640 W. Fenner Treat. Affections (1641) ii. 32 He cryes lamentably, O Daniel, thou servant of the living God: O Daniel, hee screecht it out dolefully.

1794 ‘P. Pindar’ Pindariana (1795) 8 ‘An Ass!’ with anger swelling, screech'd the Dame.

1844 B. Disraeli Coningsby II. v. iv. 265 ‘Rigby,’ screeched a hoarse voice, ‘don't you mind.’

1872 E. Rich tr. P. Marcoy Journey S. Amer. II. viii. 518 The aras, parrots, and perroquets, screeched a harsh chorus.

1920 Argosy 24 Apr. 208/1 ‘No! No!’ he screeches.

1963 H. Porter Watcher on Cast-Iron Balcony 66 Mrs. Adams and her children, bitterly screeching at each other ‘Greediguts!’ and ‘Shut up, bum-face!’.

2006 Independent 13 July (Extra section) 11/2 ‘It's a disgrace!’ she screeched, behind a pair of enormous Jackie O sunglasses.

a. intransitive. To make a loud, harsh, piercing noise.

ΚΠ

1792 ‘P. Pindar’ Tears of St. Margaret 9 The fiddles screech with rapture one and all.

1824 W. Irving Tales of Traveller II. iv. 272 The ungreased wheels groaned and screeched on the axletrees.

1861 Harper's New Monthly Mag. Apr. 663/1 Just then a train screeched into the station.

1871 J. Hawthorne Idolatry I. ix. 136 The fog-whistle screeched dismally.

1905 Tales July 89/2 The whirling sand screeched by on both sides.

1920 H. Titus Last Straw xvi. 166 Bullets screeched overhead.

1992 J. R. Dominguez & V. Robin Your Money or your Life ii. 43 Cars, trucks and buses honk and belch and screech up and down the street.

2015 E. K. Arnold Question of Miracles 140 The teacher's chalk screeched across the board.

b. transitive. To cause (something) to make a loud, harsh, piercing noise.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > unpleasant quality > shrill quality > shrill [verb (transitive)] > shriek, screech, or scream

screech1864

1864 Lady Duff-Gordon in F. Galton Vacation Tourists & Trav. 1862–3 161 A Dutchman was screeching a concertina hideously.

1915 L. C. Brower Vale of Illusion xiii. 158 The locomotive screeched its whistle, and the train began to move.

1972 ‘M. Sinclair’ Norslag iv. 35 The ancient lift operative..had been less than polite as he had screeched the gates open for him.

2005 C. Cleave Incendiary 85 I went straight across the road with my crutch. A cab nearly killed me. The cabbie screeched his brakes and he called me a stupid slapper.

c. intransitive. to screech to a halt (or stop): (of a moving vehicle) to be stopped by a forceful application of the brakes which causes the brakes, wheels, or tyres to make a loud, harsh, piercing noise; (of a driver) to stop a vehicle in this way. Also figurative with reference to an abrupt ending or halting of something. Cf. to come to a screeching halt (or stop) at screeching adj. 2.

ΚΠ

1920 Lake County Times (Hammond, Indiana) 24 May 1/2 The quiet of police headquarters was broken as an automobile screeched to a sudden stop outside the door.

1933 Charleston (W. Virginia) Daily Mail 8 June 6/3 A big truck screeched to a halt less than six inches away.

1978 C. Trillin Alice, Let's Eat 6 I screech to a halt in front of a place that has the look of a spectacular fried-clam stand.

1992 Economist 12 Sept. 98/1 Even if the scheme screeched to a halt tomorrow, it has accomplished the unprecedented feat of fully privatising 122 state-owned companies in two months.

2011 Times of India (Nexis) 28 Sept. A yellow taxi screeched to a halt.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

n.¹int.1560

n.²1829

n.³1902

v.1577

单词	screech
释义	screechn.¹int. Brit. /skriːtʃ/, U.S. /skritʃ/ Forms: 1500s skreeche, 1500s– screech, 1600s screach, 1600s screitch, 1600s scriech, 1600s scrietch, 1600s–1700s skreech, 1600s–1700s skriech, 1700s skreetch. Origin: A variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymon: scritch n.¹ Etymology: Variant (with vowel lengthening) of scritch n.¹ Compare slightly later screech owl n. and later screech v. Compare also earlier screak n., shrike n.¹, shritch n., and later shriek n., skreigh v. 1. a. A loud shrill cry, often expressing sudden pain or alarm; a loud shrill call of an animal. Also in figurative contexts. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > cry or shout (loudness) > cry of emotion or pain > [noun] > scream or shriek squealingc1325 skriking1340 shrikingc1374 shritchingc1374 skrikea1400 blaringc1440 shritch1470 scritchinga1500 shrikea1500 screak1513 skirl1513 wauling1533 wrawling1533 screamingc1540 scritch1548 skreighc1550 shright1558 screech1560 screaking1565 screeching1589 shriek1590 shrill1591 shirl1598 shrieking1602 screama1616 squalling1677 squall1709 squeal1747 skelloch1808 skreighing1816 skirling1820 sharming1823 shriekery1865 squee1938 1560 T. H. tr. Ovid Fable Narcissus sig. ij^v Ecco..the dobbeler of skreeche [rhyme speche; L. resonabilis Echo]. 1614 J. Sylvester Bethulia's Rescue ii. 238 Th' one insulting proud; Th' other in skrieches, and sad cryes, as loud, Deafned the shores. 1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey i. 11 A great lamentation, accompanied with grones and skreeches. 1628 Ld. Carleton in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1824) 1st Ser. III. 259 But to returne to the screeches made att the fatall blow given. 1673 J. Flavell Fountain of Life xii. 149 O what a fearful scriech will thy Conscience give. 1722 D. Defoe Jrnl. Plague Year 95 A Woman gave three frightful Skreetches. 1743 N. Appleton Several Disc. Romans VIII. xiv 93 Draw forth Teares, yea, to cause Schreetches and screamings out. a1822 P. B. Shelley Poet. Wks. (1870) II. 532 He sang a song which was more of a screech [rhyme ditch] 'Gainst a woman that was a brute. 1864 J. C. Geikie George Stanley vii. 131 Suddenly an unearthly sound broke from one side, a sort of screech. 1905 Outing Aug. 614/2 The big cat sprang violently aside, with a spitting screech of terror. 1990 K. von Trojan Mars in Scorpio 142 The cockatoos take wing, their startled screeches fading into the distance. 2010 Daily Mail 18 Mar. 18 A..teen sitting behind me let out such a God-almighty screech she almost knocked herself out. b. A loud, harsh, high-pitched noise. Also (and earliest) as int., representing this noise. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > unpleasant quality > shrill quality > [noun] > shriek, screech, or scream scritchinga1500 shrikea1500 scream1513 screamingc1540 scrivec1540 shriek1599 screeching1753 skirling1820 screech1821 screel1835 shriekery1865 1821 M. Edgeworth Rosamund I. 201 Creak, creak, creak, screech, went the door. 1863 N. Hawthorne Our Old Home II. 85 We could hear the galloping sweep of a railway train..and its discordant screech. 1917 E. F. Wood Note-bk. Intelligence Officer xxii. 345 German high explosive shells..arrive with a crescendo screech, and burst about us with loud ‘blaams’. 1982 S. Brett Murder Unprompted (1984) iii. 31 A car door slammed, a powerful engine started, and there was a screech of tyres. 2000 P. Pullman Amber Spyglass (2001) xvi. 224 The air rang with the pounding of mighty hammers and the clangorous screech of iron on stone. 2. Chiefly regional. Any of various birds having a harsh high-pitched call, as the barn owl ( Tyto alba), the common swift ( Apus apus), the mistle thrush ( Turdus viscivorus), and the American screech owl ( Megascops asio). Cf. screech owl n. 1, scritch owl n. 1. Now rare.In quot. 1777-8 showing similar use of scritch n.¹ See also Compounds 1. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > birds > sound or bird defined by > [noun] > cry or call > harsh > bird having harsh cry screecha1657 yawper1678 a1657 G. Daniel Poems (1878) I. 175 Where the owle And yelling Screitch, (full of portent and Fate) Late kept. 1777–8 R. Wight Horæ Subsecivæ (MS Bodl. Eng. lang. d.66) 384 [In Devon] A Scritch, a Homescritch—Turdus... Perhaps the Mistletoe Thrush in other Counties.] 1802 G. Montagu Ornithol. Dict. Swift... Screech, or Screech Martin. 1802 G. Montagu Ornithol. Dict. Screech, vide Thrush-missel. a1822 P. B. Shelley tr. J. W. von Goethe Scenes from Faust in Posthumous Poems (1824) 401 Are the screech, the lapwing, and the jay, All awake as if 'twere day? 1852 F. O. Morris Hist. Brit. Birds II. 75 Swift... Black Martin. Screech. 1878 National Mus. Proc. 1 134 Scops asio.—Little Mottled Owl; Screech. This Owl is quite abundant at Stockton. 1885 C. Swainson Provinc. Names Brit. Birds 1 Missel Thrush..Holm thrush, Holm cock, Holm screech (Cornwall, Devon, Dorset). 1916 Notes & Queries Dorset & Somerset 15 42 Screeches, Swifts. 1957 H. Hall Parish's Dict. Sussex Dial. (new ed.) 112/2 Screech, the swift. Also called Squeaker and Deviling. Compounds C1. attributive in (chiefly regional) names of birds with a harsh high-pitched call (cf. sense 2), as screech bird, screech-cock, screech-devil, †screech-drossle, screech hawk, screech martin. Now chiefly historical. See also screech owl n.Quot. 1726 apparently shows interruption of the compound screech owl n. by a parenthesis (in verse). ΚΠ 1726 C. Ellison Most Pleasant Descr. Benwell 460 Those Screech (Birds, call'd) Owls.] 1802 G. Montagu Ornithol. Dict. Swift... Screech, or Screech Martin. 1812 J. Dubourdieu Statist. Surv. Antrim i. 127 The screech-cock (turdus viscivorus) is now frequent. 1837 W. Macgillivray Hist. Brit. Birds II. 114 Turdus viscivorus. The Missel Thrush... Screech Thrush. 1842 Penny Cycl. XXIII. 363/1 The Common Swift..is the..Screech Martin..and Black Martin of the country-people. 1867 Notes & Queries 5 Oct. 273/2 Almost all the provincial names of the Swift seem to indicate something unholy, as Devling, Devilet, Sker-devil, Screech-devil, &c. 1868 R. W. Huntley Gloss. Cotswold (Gloucs.) Dial. 60 Screech-drossle, the missel-thrush. 1885 C. Swainson Provinc. Names & Folk Lore Brit. Birds 6 Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris)... Called from its harsh cry before rain..Screech bird; Screech thrush (Stirling). 1901 Amer. Anthropologist 3 674 A sort of screech-hawk or sparrow-hawk is called in Ojibwa sakwatamo. 1915 A. Warwick Chalk Line xii. 227 They have a whistle over there, like a screech-devil, for Ping to call him if he needs him. 1957 W. L. McAtee Folk-names Canad. Birds 51 Blue Jay..screech bird. (From its notes [i.e. its raucous calls]. N[ew] B[runswick]). 1981 W. B. Lockwood in Y. L. Arbeitman & A. R. Bomhard Bono Homini Donum xvi. 193 The fieldfare is a noisy species... The most prominent call is a harsh cha-cha-cha-chack.., hence screech bird. 1994 Times 10 Nov. 4/1 Nightjars, also known as screech or moth hawks, had been in steep decline. 1996 C. I. Macafee Conc. Ulster Dict. Screech-cock.., screech thrush, a bird: the mistle thrush, Turdus viscivorus. 2002 W. Fiennes Snow Geese (2003) iv. 139 These were common swifts, Apus apus,..known variously as skeer devils, swing devils, jack squealers, screech martins, shriek owls or screeks—names that alluded to the bird's fiendish screaming flight and diabolic black appearance. C2. attributive, with the sense ‘loud and shrill’. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > unpleasant quality > shrill quality > [adjective] > shriek, screech, or scream scritching1577 shriekinga1586 skriking1632 skirling1786 screechy1834 shrieky1848 screecha1854 the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > cry or shout (loudness) > cry of emotion or pain > [adjective] > scream or shriek wrawling1533 shreaming1565 scritching1577 shriking1583 shriekinga1586 screeching1602 screaming1616 in a screek1681 squalling1712 skirling1786 shrieky1848 screecha1854 squally1862 a1854 Ld. Cockburn Memorials (1856) iii. 179 A wild-looking..man, with sandy hair, a screech voice, and staring eyes. 1919 P. R. Lloyd tr. A. A. Pons Holocaust viii. 171 A small, grey-haired man, with..a screech-voice. 2011 M. M. Fleifil et al. in C. E. Baukal Internal Combustion Testing viii. 201/1 Screech tones are distinct narrowband frequency sound that can be described as a ‘whistle’ or a ‘screech’. C3. screech beetle n. a small aquatic beetle of the genus Hygrobia, esp. H. hermanni, which has bulging eyes and makes a squeaking noise by rubbing the tip of the abdomen against the underside of the wing cases. Hygrobia is the only genus in the family Hygrobiidae.Also called squeak beetle. ΚΠ 1858 W. A. Lloyd List of Whatever relates to Aquaria iii. 40 Pælobius Hermannii. The Screech Beetle. 1979 Country Life 21 June 2043 The screech beetle.., a water insect of southern England, will squeak as a reaction of defiance. 2010 G. Hangay & P. Zborowski Guide to Beetles Austral. 53 Hygrobiidae. Screech beetles. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online June 2022). screechn.² Brit. /skriːtʃ/, U.S. /skritʃ/ Origin: Probably a variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymons: screak n. 3, skreigh n.² Etymology: Probably an alteration of either screak n. 3 or skreigh n.², as a result of folk-etymological association with screech n.¹Sometimes interpreted by folk etymology as deriving from the crowing of the cock at dawn (compare cockcrow n.). Perhaps compare also the following quotations in which a shriek of despair is associated with the cold light of morning:1807 Lady Morgan Patriotic Sketches Ireland I. x. 158 The heaviest curse that vengeance breathes upon the object of its direst hatred is, ‘the screech of the morning be upon you’. [Footnote] When the dawn rises for the first time on the remains of a beloved and deceased object, those feelings of sorrow which were till then faintly expressed, or silently betrayed, become wild or vehement in their indulgence; and the shriek of despair which ushers in the dawn's grey light to the bed of death, may indeed well be considered as an anathema by the ear and the heart on which it falls.1816 T. Kennedy Poems 231 This tongue will curse them down to endless night, Theirs be the screech of morn. Break of day, dawn, etc. Cf. screak n. 3, skreigh n.², skrike n. 2. ΘΚΠ the world > time > day and night > day or daytime > dawn > [noun] aristc825 dawingc900 dayeOE day-rimOE day-redOE mornOE lightOE lightingOE dawning1297 day-rowa1300 grekinga1300 uprista1300 dayninga1325 uprisingc1330 sun arisingc1350 springc1380 springingc1380 day-springa1382 morrowingc1384 dayingc1400 daylighta1425 upspring1471 aurora1483 sky1515 orienta1522 breaking of the day1523 daybreak1530 day-peep1530 morrow dayc1530 peep of the morning1530 prick of the day?1533 morning1535 day-breaking1565 creek1567 sunup1572 breach of the day1579 break of day or morn1584 peep of day1587 uprise1594 dawna1616 day-dawn1616 peep of dawn1751 strike of day1790 skreigh1802 sunbreak1822 day-daw1823 screech1829 dayclean1835 sun dawn1835 first light1838 morning-red1843 piccaninny sun1846 piccaninny daylightc1860 gloaming1873 glooming1877 sparrow-fart1886 crack1887 sun-spring1900 piccaninny dawn1936 1829 Christian Examiner, & Church of Ireland Mag. Sept. 196 He set out one morning at screech of day. 1863 J. Nicolson Kilwuddie 51 Sae jist at the screech o' mornin' Some ane's lamp had caught a thrum, Set the hale affair a burnin'. 1883 F. M. Crawford Dr. Claudius iii. 44 I am a very early person. I get up at the screech of dawn. 1948 C. Beaton Diary 10 Mar. in Self Portrait with Friends (1979) xvi. 208 She works frenetically, getting out of bed at screech of dawn. 2006 Buffalo (N.Y.) News (Nexis) 4 June m18 She slept late, while I paid a lot of money to, at the screech of dawn, spin in an aerobatic biplane for an hour. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022). screechn.³ Brit. /skriːtʃ/, U.S. /skritʃ/ Forms: 1900s– screech, 1900s– screetch. Origin: Probably formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: screech n.¹ Etymology: Probably a humorous extended use of screech n.¹, perhaps resulting from association with skreigh n.³ (compare discussion at that entry). 1. slang. Any cheap or strong alcoholic drink, esp. liquor. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > distilled drink > whisky > [noun] usquebaugh1581 creature1638 corn-brandy1704 whisky1715 usque1728 spunkiea1796 skreigh1813 the stuff1828 snake poison1842 tanglefoot1860 whisky-straight1864 oil1869 Auld Kirk1884 snake juice1890 screech1902 scat1914 pinch bottle1916 screecham1923 juice1932 malt1967 the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > types or qualities of intoxicating liquor > [noun] > strong strong drinkc1405 ipse1634 knock-down1698 hogan1702 knock-me-down1756 milk1784 hot stuff1823 chain lightning1825 sudden death1834 hardware1835 stagger-juice1905 sting1929 strongers1939 screech1944 rocket fuel1958 1902 J. S. Farmer & W. E. Henley Slang VI. i. 126/1 Screech, whiskey. 1944 T. H. Wisdom Triumph over Tunisia viii. 68 The famous and kindly Peres Blanc from the Monastery at near-by Thibar had supplied them with drink from the monks' own cellars, and the popular drink was one that had been aptly christened ‘Screech’ by ‘111’. 1959 Manch. Guardian 7 July 7/4 There has been some concern at the violence during fights ashore between servicemen following the drinking of a local concoction known in the service [sc. the Navy] as ‘Screech’. It is made of a local wine, ‘Imbeet’, mixed with Coca Cola. 1964 C. Rougvie Medal from Pamplona vi. 80 ‘Beer and screech.’ ‘Screech?’.. ‘It's a term embracing all cheap Canadian wines.’ 2008 B. Schubart Lamoille Stories 73 This last purchase depleted his reserves, leaving only enough for four bottles of a homemade liquor known as ‘screech’. 2. Originally slang. A proprietary name for: a dark rum made in Newfoundland.Quot. 1944 apparently shows earlier application to a type of whisky. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > distilled drink > rum > [noun] > kinds of rum Jamaica1775 white rum1816 New England1827 black jack1863 dark rum1864 black rum1872 light rum1872 Nelson's blood1905 Bacardi1921 pinga1928 navy1946 screech1946 anejo1983 1944 Montana Standard 11 Dec. 5/3 ‘Newfie Screech,’ the sergeant said, ‘is rotgut bootleg potato whisky which costs $8 a bottle.’] 1946 Lethbridge (Alberta) Herald 25 Jan. 2/8 The Russians..drink huge quantities of German liquor, some as harsh as ‘Newfie Screech’ (Newfoundland rum so named by the Royal Canadian Navy during the war). 1958 Maclean's 27 Sept. 63/3 Screech is a mixture of rums now sold by the liquor board under a new label that displays..the legend ‘Newfoundland's Famous Screech’. 1979 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 17 Oct. 6/1 Screech, the hairy-chested Newfoundland libation, is based on Jamaican rum. 2010 M. Horsdal Sweetness from Ashes xvii. 204 ‘So we're a flag-waver now, are we?’ asked Sheila. ‘Going to learn French? Eat salt cod and drink screech?’ This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022). screechv. Brit. /skriːtʃ/, U.S. /skritʃ/ Forms: 1500s screche, 1500s skrech, 1500s–1600s screch, 1500s–1600s skreech, 1600s screach, 1600s scrietch, 1600s–1700s skriech, 1600s– screech, 1700s skrietch, 1700s– screetch. Origin: A variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymon: scritch v.¹ Etymology: Variant (with vowel lengthening) of scritch v.¹ Compare earlier screech n.¹, screech owl n., and also earlier screak v., shriek v., shrike v., shritch v. 1. a. intransitive. To utter a loud shrill cry or screech; to scream or cry out with a loud shrill voice. Also with out. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > by noises > voice or sound made by animal > make sound [verb (intransitive)] > shriek shritcha1250 scritcha1300 screamc1340 shriek1567 screech1577 screak1607 squall1630 sweara1728 stridulate1838 the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > unpleasant quality > shrill quality > sound shrill [verb (intransitive)] > shriek, screech, or scream shrikec1200 scritcha1300 screech1577 scream1785 the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > cry or shout (loudness) > cry of emotion or pain > [verb (intransitive)] > scream or shriek screama1200 shrikec1200 shreamc1230 shritcha1250 scritcha1300 squeala1300 skrike1340 skirlc1400 wrawlc1440 sharmc1485 screak?a1500 shrighta1542 shriek1567 screech1577 waul1601 bawl1605 squall1688 skreigh1718 screel1730 skelloch1808 squalino1810 to scream (also cry, yell, etc.) blue murder1828 rescream1858 1577 T. Kendall tr. Politianus et al. Flowers of Epigrammes f. 26^v Thou weepest still, thou skrechest shrill [L. fletumque ululatibus imples], thou halest from head thyne heares. 1602 J. Marston Antonios Reuenge iii. iii. sig. F2^v Now croakes the toad, & night crowes screech aloud. 1660 J. Howell Θηρολογια 23 Som of ripe age will screech, cry, and howle in so many disordered notes and singultient accents. 1704 London Post 28 June 2/1 The Nurse and 2 Maids who lay in a Room backwards, were heard to Skriech out a considerable time, in a most pitiful manner. 1794 C. I. La Trobe tr. G. H. Loskiel Hist. Mission United Brethren i. iii. 44 An Indian hunter hears an owl screech in the night. 1862 Mrs. H. Wood Mrs. Halliburton's Troubles III. x. 114 I screeched out all the more..when I remembered the quarrel that had took place at dinner. 1888 W. E. Henley Bk. Verses 152 A draggled fishwife screeches at the gates. 1918 Munsey's Mag. Jan. 730/2 I've got a sister..and she screeches over bugs, rats, dogs [etc.]. 1961 A. Hosain Sunlight on Broken Column (1988) i. xvi. 89 A monkey screeched, a high note suddenly dropping low. 2010 K. Colburn & R. Sorensen How to have your Second Child First 120 An infant screeching like a baby condor. b. transitive. To utter (something) in a loud shrill voice. Frequently with direct speech as object. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > manner of speaking > say in a particular manner [verb (transitive)] > in shrill voice pipe1567 shrill1595 treble?1624 screech1639 the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > quality of voice > impart specific tone or quality [verb (transitive)] > utter in shrill voice pipe1567 shrill1595 screech1639 the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > cry or shout (loudness) > cry of emotion or pain > [verb (transitive)] > scream or shriek screak1569 shriek1593 screech1639 squall1703 scream1710 skreigh1786 1639 J. Sherburne tr. Ovid Heroical Epist. sig. B5^v Th'ominous owle screecht our sad mariage song. a1640 W. Fenner Treat. Affections (1641) ii. 32 He cryes lamentably, O Daniel, thou servant of the living God: O Daniel, hee screecht it out dolefully. 1794 ‘P. Pindar’ Pindariana (1795) 8 ‘An Ass!’ with anger swelling, screech'd the Dame. 1844 B. Disraeli Coningsby II. v. iv. 265 ‘Rigby,’ screeched a hoarse voice, ‘don't you mind.’ 1872 E. Rich tr. P. Marcoy Journey S. Amer. II. viii. 518 The aras, parrots, and perroquets, screeched a harsh chorus. 1920 Argosy 24 Apr. 208/1 ‘No! No!’ he screeches. 1963 H. Porter Watcher on Cast-Iron Balcony 66 Mrs. Adams and her children, bitterly screeching at each other ‘Greediguts!’ and ‘Shut up, bum-face!’. 2006 Independent 13 July (Extra section) 11/2 ‘It's a disgrace!’ she screeched, behind a pair of enormous Jackie O sunglasses. 2. a. intransitive. To make a loud, harsh, piercing noise. ΚΠ 1792 ‘P. Pindar’ Tears of St. Margaret 9 The fiddles screech with rapture one and all. 1824 W. Irving Tales of Traveller II. iv. 272 The ungreased wheels groaned and screeched on the axletrees. 1861 Harper's New Monthly Mag. Apr. 663/1 Just then a train screeched into the station. 1871 J. Hawthorne Idolatry I. ix. 136 The fog-whistle screeched dismally. 1905 Tales July 89/2 The whirling sand screeched by on both sides. 1920 H. Titus Last Straw xvi. 166 Bullets screeched overhead. 1992 J. R. Dominguez & V. Robin Your Money or your Life ii. 43 Cars, trucks and buses honk and belch and screech up and down the street. 2015 E. K. Arnold Question of Miracles 140 The teacher's chalk screeched across the board. b. transitive. To cause (something) to make a loud, harsh, piercing noise. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > unpleasant quality > shrill quality > shrill [verb (transitive)] > shriek, screech, or scream screech1864 1864 Lady Duff-Gordon in F. Galton Vacation Tourists & Trav. 1862–3 161 A Dutchman was screeching a concertina hideously. 1915 L. C. Brower Vale of Illusion xiii. 158 The locomotive screeched its whistle, and the train began to move. 1972 ‘M. Sinclair’ Norslag iv. 35 The ancient lift operative..had been less than polite as he had screeched the gates open for him. 2005 C. Cleave Incendiary 85 I went straight across the road with my crutch. A cab nearly killed me. The cabbie screeched his brakes and he called me a stupid slapper. c. intransitive. to screech to a halt (or stop): (of a moving vehicle) to be stopped by a forceful application of the brakes which causes the brakes, wheels, or tyres to make a loud, harsh, piercing noise; (of a driver) to stop a vehicle in this way. Also figurative with reference to an abrupt ending or halting of something. Cf. to come to a screeching halt (or stop) at screeching adj. 2. ΚΠ 1920 Lake County Times (Hammond, Indiana) 24 May 1/2 The quiet of police headquarters was broken as an automobile screeched to a sudden stop outside the door. 1933 Charleston (W. Virginia) Daily Mail 8 June 6/3 A big truck screeched to a halt less than six inches away. 1978 C. Trillin Alice, Let's Eat 6 I screech to a halt in front of a place that has the look of a spectacular fried-clam stand. 1992 Economist 12 Sept. 98/1 Even if the scheme screeched to a halt tomorrow, it has accomplished the unprecedented feat of fully privatising 122 state-owned companies in two months. 2011 Times of India (Nexis) 28 Sept. A yellow taxi screeched to a halt. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2017; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.¹int.1560n.²1829n.³1902v.1577
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screechn.1int.

Compounds

screechn.2

screechn.3

screechv.

screechn.¹int.

screechn.²

screechn.³