▪ I. † shritch, n. Obs.
Forms: α. 5 shryche, schryche, 6 shrich(e, 7 schriche. β. 7 shreech, shreitch.
[f. shritch v.; cf. scritch n., screech n.1]
1. A screech, shriek.
| α 1470–85 Malory Arthur xviii. xii. 745 Sir Lauayn..gaf a grete shryche and a merueillous gryfely grone. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia (1622) 383 Giuing a pitifull but sweet shrich. 1622 Mabbe tr. Aleman's Guzman d'Alf. i. 145 Letting the light fall out of her hand for feare, shee gaue withall a great schriche. 1650 Howell Giraffi's Rev. Naples. i. 30 With howlings and unusuall schriches. |
| β 1596 Spenser F.Q. vi. iv. 18 Whose eares those shrieches shrill..did thrill. 1650 S. Sheppard Candido 21 With a loud shreitch she leaped out of the bed. 1652–62 Heylin Cosmogr. iii. (1673) 104/2 With their fearful shreeches affrighting Passengers. |
2. = shritch-owl.
| c 1475 Pict. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 763/3 Hic strix, a schryche. |
▪ II. shritch, v. Obs. or dial.
Forms: 3 schirche, 4 schriche, schryche, 6 shryche, shri(t)ch, 6, 9 schrich. pa. tense and pa. pple. 4 schirȝt-e, shirt, 4–5 s(c)hriȝt-e, s(c)hright-e, s(c)hriht-e, -y-, sright-e; 4 schrichid, 5 shryched.
[Parallel form to scritch v.]
1. intr. To shriek, screech.
| a 1250 Owl & Night. 223 Þu schirchest & ȝollest to þine fere. 13.. K. Alis. 5738 By Porus conseil hogges hy took, And beten hem so they shrightte. c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 4739 Þe folk schirsten [read schirȝten] so heiȝe & loude Þat it schilled in to þe cloude. Ibid. 6403 Þe paiens schirt & made dol. c 1374 Chaucer Troylus v. 320 The owle..Hath after me shright [v.rr. schriht, sright, shryght] alle þis nyghtes two. c 1386 ― Nun's Pr. T. 580 (Camb. MS.), And ther-with all thei schrichid & schoutid. 1470–85 Malory Arthur xxi. v. 850 The quenes and ladyes wepte and shryched that hit was pyte to here. 1557 Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 238 And to the Gods and to the skies they shright. a 1575 Gascoigne Posies, Flowers 58, I..schrich to ease my morning minde. 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. viii. 32 Downe in her lap she hid her face, and loudly shright. 1841 Hartshorne Salopia Antiqua 564 Schriching as soon as ivir yo touchen him. |
2. trans. To utter with shrieking.
| 1534 More Comf. agst. Trib. iii. Wks. 1261/1 That hideous howling that those hel houndes shold shryche. |
Hence † shritching vbl. n. and ppl. a.
| c 1374 Chaucer Troylus v. 382 As rauenes qualm or schrychynge of thise owlis. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. vii. xxxvii. (1495) 436 Ulula is a foule that hathe that name of shrichynge and cryeng. 1576 Gascoigne Philomene 22 The Throstle she, which makes the wood to ring With shryching lowde. |