Past tense of caw; made the harsh, harsh cry characteristic of crows or ravens.
From Old English or imitative origin 'caw', the onomatopoeia for crow calls, plus regular past tense '-ed' suffix; documented in English since at least the 1500s.
The word 'cawed' is one of English's best onomatopoeia—when you hear the actual sound (the harsh 'CAW' of a crow), you understand instantly why someone chose exactly that spelling!
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