A medieval official who served as a professional crier or announcer in towns and markets.
From Old French crocier or croceor, derived from croc or croche (hook). The term connected to criers who used hooked staffs as symbols of office, or who announced loudly ('cried out').
Before printing presses and newspapers, town criers were essential information technology—they were the human broadcast system that kept people informed about laws, markets, and important news.
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