The harsh, loud call made by crows and ravens; to make this sound.
Imitative in origin, representing the sound itself. It has been used since the 1600s in English to onomatopoetically represent the cry of corvids (crow family birds). The word copies the actual noise the birds make.
Caw is pure onomatopoeia — it literally sounds like what it means. For centuries, crows have been cawing the same way, and English speakers invented this word by just imitating them. It's one of the only words where the sound and the meaning are the same thing.
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