crick

¹

[ krik ]

noun

1. a sharp, painful spasm of the muscles, as of the neck or back.

verb (used with object)

1. to give a crick or wrench to (the neck, back, etc.).

crick

²

[ krik ]

noun

, Northern, North Midland, and Western U.S.

1. creek ( def 1 ).

Crick

³

[ krik ]

noun

1. Francis Harry Compton, 1916–2004, English biophysicist: Nobel Prize in Medicine 1962.

crick

¹

/ krɪk /

noun

1. a painful muscle spasm or cramp, esp in the neck or back

verb

1. tr to cause a crick in (the neck, back, etc)

crick

²

/ krɪk /

noun

1. a dialect word for creek

Crick

³

/ krɪk /

noun

1. CrickFrancis Harry Compton19162004MEnglishSCIENCE: biologist Francis Harry Compton. 1916–2004, English molecular biologist: helped to discover the helical structure of DNA; Nobel prize for physiology or medicine shared with James Watson and Maurice Wilkins 1962

Crick

/ krĭk /

1. British biologist who with James D. Watson identified the structure of DNA in 1953. By analyzing the patterns cast by x-rays striking DNA molecules, they found that DNA has the structure of a double helix, consisting of two spirals linked together at the base, forming ladderlike rungs. For this work they shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine with Maurice Wilkins.

Word History and Origins

Origin of crick¹

1400–50; late Middle English crikke, perhaps akin to crick ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of crick¹

C15: of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

The porch swing cricked five hundred times before Cat crawled under the covers next to her brother, and it was still cricking when she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

From Literature

Joe Manchin is no country hick But he’s made many city folks sick With his waffles and whines And his coddling of mines: He’s changed horses while deep in the crick.

From Washington Post

His effort to look anywhere else but in my direction is giving him a crick in the neck.

From Literature

Or maybe she just had a crick in her neck.

From Literature

Various courts have since let us know that nope, 'twas merely a small crick against the doomsday direction in which we were previously heading.

From Salon