crook

Where does the word "crook" come from? It comes from Old Norse krokr, and was adopted directly into English (1200s).

Crook’s story begins in Old Norse: krokr meant “a hook, a bend.” A hook, a bend, something curved. It reached English by 1200s as crook. Settled as the English word for a bent or hooked object, later a dishonest person. Today, crook means a bend or hook in something, or informally, a dishonest person.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval krokr "a hook, a bend", a hook, a bend, something curved.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1200s crook "a hooked staff, or informally, a dishonest person", settled as the English word for a bent or hooked object, later a dishonest person.