crowen

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English crāwan, from Proto-West Germanic *krāan (“to crow, shout”).

Alternative forms

• crawe, crawen, crowe

Pronunciation

• (Northern) IPA^(key): /ˈkrɑu̯ən/
• IPA^(key): /ˈkrɔu̯ən/

Verb

crowen

1. To crow (make the noise of a rooster)
   • c. 1275, Judas (Roud 2964, Child Ballad 23, Trinity College MS. B.14.39)‎^[1], folio 34, recto, lines 36-37; republished at Cambridge: Wren Digital Library (Trinity College), 2019 May 29:

     Stille þou be peter. Wel i þe icnowe. / þou wolt fur ſake me þrien . ar þe coc him crowe.

     "Quiet now, Peter. I know you well; / You'll forsake me three times when the cock crows."

2. To make other noises typical of birds; to produce birdsong.

Conjugation

Conjugation of crowen (strong class 7)

infinitive	(to) crowen, crowe
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	crowe	crew
2nd-person singular	crowest	crewe, crew
3rd-person singular	croweth	crew
subjunctive singular	crowe	crewe1
imperative singular		—
plural2	crowen, crowe	crewen, crewe
imperative plural	croweth, crowe	—
participles	crowynge, crowende	crowen, crowe, ycrowe

¹Replaced by the indicative in later Middle English.
²Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Derived terms

• crowe
• crowynge

Descendants

• English: crow
• Scots: craw

References

• “crouen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-06-6.

Etymology 2

From Old English crāwan, plural of crāwe; equivalent to crowe +‎ -en (plural suffix).

Noun

crowen

1. (Early Middle English) plural of crowe