crock
|crock|
🇺🇸
/krɑk/
🇬🇧
/krɒk/
earthenware pot → worthless or broken thing
Etymology
'crock' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'croc' (also attested as 'crocc'), where it meant 'pot' or 'jar'.
'crock' changed from Middle English forms such as 'crok' or 'crokke' (borrowed/related to various Germanic forms like Old Norse 'krukka' and Dutch/Germanic cognates) and eventually became the modern English 'crock'.
Initially, it meant 'pot' or 'earthenware vessel'; over time it also acquired figurative senses such as 'worthless thing' or 'nonsense' and slang senses (e.g., 'old crock', 'crocked' = drunk or injured).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a pot, jar, or similar vessel made from earthenware or pottery; a large ceramic container (often used for preserving or storing food).
She stored the pickles in a large crock in the cellar.
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Noun 2
informal: something worthless, false, or a fraud; nonsense (often used in the phrase 'a crock of ...').
Don't listen to that — it's a crock of nonsense.
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Noun 3
colloquial (derogatory): an old, decrepit person or thing; someone or something considered worn out.
He calls his old truck a crock, but it still runs.
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Verb 1
to injure or put out of use (especially in sports contexts): to hobble or damage someone so they cannot perform normally ('to crock' someone).
He crocked his knee during the match and had to sit out the season.
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Verb 2
to put into a crock or to preserve/cook in a crock (less common).
She crocked the chutney and left it to ferment for weeks.
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Adjective 1
slang: drunk (colloquial; 'crocked').
After the party he was completely crocked.
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Last updated: 2026/01/05 12:20