Etymology

Deverbal from Old SwedishCategory:Swedish terms derived from Old Swedish#KRÄK kræka (“to crawl”), possibly with the original sense "to curve" (and if so, related to krake and krok). Originally of smaller creeping or crawling animals, "lower" animals. Compare Norwegian Nynorsk krek.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /krɛːk/Category:Swedish terms with IPA pronunciation#KRÄK
• Rhymes: -ɛːkCategory:Rhymes:Swedish/ɛːk#KRÄKCategory:Rhymes:Swedish/ɛːk/1 syllable#KRÄK

Noun

kräk nCategory:Swedish lemmas#KRÄKCategory:Swedish nouns#KRÄKCategory:Swedish entries with incorrect language header#KRÄKCategory:Swedish neuter nouns#KRÄKCategory:Pages with entries#KRÄKCategory:Pages with 1 entry#KRÄK

1. (derogatoryCategory:Swedish derogatory terms#KRÄK) someone despicable, scum

   De är kräk som ger sig på oskyldiga

   They're scum to go after innocents

   Category:Swedish terms with usage examples#KRÄK

2. (derogatoryCategory:Swedish derogatory terms#KRÄK) someone weak, spineless, insignificant, etc.

   en skara ynkliga kräk

   a bunch of pitiful worms

   Category:Swedish terms with usage examples#KRÄK

3. a disagreeable or pitiable (pity-evoking) animal (like "pitiful," but used as a generic invective towards disagreeable animals)

   Ge kattkräket lite mat

   Give the poor cat some food

   Category:Swedish terms with usage examples#KRÄK

   Rådjurskräken har ätit upp alla äpplen

   Those damn deer have eaten all the apples

   Category:Swedish terms with usage examples#KRÄK

4. (colloquialCategory:Swedish colloquialisms#KRÄK) a domestic animal, especially of cattle
5. (colloquialCategory:Swedish colloquialisms#KRÄK) puke (matter ejaculated when vomiting – compare kräkas)

   Det ligger kräk på golvet

   There's puke on the floor

   Category:Swedish terms with usage examples#KRÄK

References

• “kräk”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “kräk”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “kräk”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• kräk in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)