Crawe

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An old spelling for a large black bird of the crow family ; to boast or exult loudly, the way a rooster does at dawn
2. A archaic form naming a glossy black bird of the crow kind ; to express triumphant pride in a loud, boastful manner
3. The obsolete term for a black corvid bird such as a rook or crow ; to brag noisily or celebrate with open, vaunting delight

Etymology: Before "crow" became the standard spelling, English speakers wrote the bird's name as "crawe," the form that survives here as an archaic variant. The word goes back to Old English "crāwe," which belongs to a family of Germanic bird names that includes Dutch "kraai" and German "Krähe," all meaning crow or a close relative. The change from "crawe" to "crowe" to "crow" is mostly a matter of spelling and pronunciation drifting apart over centuries. The "aw" spelling was still in use in Middle English, and the "ow" form gradually displaced it. The older spelling lingered in regional and literary use, which is why readers of older texts sometimes meet it.