crowd
/kraʊd/
noun
Origin
Old English
crūdan — to press, push, force
Overview
Meaning Now
- A large number of people gathered together in a disorganized or crowded manner.
- The common people or the masses.
Literal older meaning
to press, push, or shove
Language path
Old English → English
Earliest form
crūdan
Earliest period
late 10th century
Journey
The word originated from a Germanic root implying physical force or pressure. While it originally referred to the action of pushing or shoving, it evolved by the 14th century to describe the collective result of such actions: a gathering of people pressing against one another.
Evolution
- Old English
crūdan
“to press or push”
Strong verb of the second class.
- Middle English
crowden
“to push, shove, or press together”
Transitioning toward modern noun usage.
- Early Modern English
crowd
“a pressed mass of people”
Noun sense fully established.
Connections
Word parts
crowd
root
press or move forcefully
Related across languages
Middle Dutch
cruden
to push or press
Middle Low German
krūden
to press
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Related to crowd
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.