creek

creek
creek mid-15c., creke "narrow inlet in a coastline," altered from kryk (early 13c.; in place names from 12c.), probably from O.N. kriki "corner, nook," perhaps influenced by Anglo-Fr. crique, itself from a Scandinavian source via Norman. Perhaps ultimately related to CROOK (Cf. crook) and with an original notion of "full of bends and turns" (Cf. dial. Swed. krik "corner, bend; creek, cove"). Extended to "inlet or short arm of a river" by 1570s, which probably led to use for "small stream, brook" in Amer.Eng. (1620s). Also used there and in Canada, Australia, New Zealand for "branch of a main river," possibly from explorers moving up main rivers and seeing and noting mouths of tributaries without knowing they often were extensive rivers of their own. Slang phrase up the creek "in trouble," often especially "pregnant," first recorded 1941, perhaps originally armed forces slang for "lost while on patrol."

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • creek — creek …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • Creek — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Creek (homonymie). Creek Muskogee …   Wikipédia en Français

  • CREEK — Tribu indienne d’Amérique du Nord, qui parlait une langue muskogean et occupait à l’origine une très grande partie des plaines de Georgie et d’Alabama. Le mode de subsistance des Creek reposait principalement sur la culture du maïs, des haricots… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Creek — may refer to: Creek, a small stream Creek (tidal), an inlet of the sea, narrower than a cove Creek, a narrow channel/small stream between islands in the Florida Keys Muscogee (Creek), a native American people Creek language, the language of that… …   Wikipedia

  • Creek — 〈[ kri:k] m. 6; Geol.〉 nur zur Regenzeit Wasser führender Fluss [engl., „Bucht“, amerikan. „kleiner Fluss“] * * * Creek [kri:k ], der; s, s [engl. creek, H. u., wohl aus dem Germ.] (Geogr.): 1. kleine Bucht an einer Meeresküste, die durch… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Creek — ist eine Bezeichnung in der englischen Sprache für eine geographische Form, die in unterschiedlichen Gebieten des englischen Sprachraumes jeweils eigene Bedeutungen hat: Im britischen Englisch wird damit allgemein ein Wasserlauf bezeichnet, der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Creek — (kr[=e]k), n. [AS. crecca; akin to D. kreek, Icel. kriki crack, nook; cf. W. crig crack, crigyll ravine, creek. Cf. {Crick}, {Crook}.] 1. A small inlet or bay, narrower and extending further into the land than a cove; a recess in the shore of the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • creek — s.n. Curs de apă temporar în deşerturile sărate din Australia şi din America de Sud. [pr.: cric] – cuv. engl. Trimis de LauraGellner, 24.01.2007. Sursa: DEX 98  CREEK s.n. (Anglicism) Curs de apă temporar din deşerturile sărate din Australia şi… …   Dicționar Român

  • Creek — [krēk, krik] n. [shortened < earlier Ochese Creek Indians, 17th c. name for the Indians of the upper Ocmulgee River, Georgia ] 1. pl. Creeks or Creek a member of a cultural and political grouping (the Creek Confederacy) of North American… …   English World dictionary

  • creek — [kri:k] n [Date: 1400 1500; : Old Norse; Origin: kriki bend ] 1.) AmE AusE a small narrow stream or river 2.) BrE a long narrow area of water that flows from the sea into the land 3.) be up the creek (without a paddle) spoken als …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Creek — Indian tribe or confederation, 1725, named for CREEK (Cf. creek), the geographical feature, and abbreviated from Ochese Creek Indians, from the place in Georgia where English first encountered them. Native name is Muskogee, a word of uncertain… …   Etymology dictionary

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