quork

English

Etymology

Onomatopoeic

Noun

quork (plural quorks)

1. The cry of a raven.

   Synonym: gronk

   • 1989, Bernd Heinrich, Ravens in Winter, page 219:

     Ten minutes later a raven lands on my blind, and I hear the heavy wingbeats of others, a soft quork here, a knocking there.

   • 1999, George R. R. Martin, A Clash of Kings, unnumbered page:

     A flock of ravens rose from inside the walls when they climbed through the broken gate, and the caged ravens in their wagons called out to them with quorks and raucous shrieks.

   • 2000, William Scheller, Snow Sports, page 170:

     The sounds are the muffled gurgling of runoff under frozen brooks, and the sharp quork-quork-quork of ravens overhead.

Verb

quork (third-person singular simple present quorks, present participle quorking, simple past and past participle quorked)

1. To make a quorking sound.

   Synonym: gronk

   • 1989, Bernd Heinrich, Ravens in Winter, page 259:

     They quork a few times during their apparent morning inspecting for intruders and return down the valley to the pond.

   • 2000, George R. R. Martin, A Storm of Swords, page 549:

     He could hear the ravens quorking and complaining in the rookery above.

   • 2011, John M. Marzluff, Colleen Marzluff, Dog Days, Raven Nights, page 241:

     A raven quorks from high above the Hills Pond as we stroll Alder Brook Road.