[shriek] vb [ME shreken, prob. irreg. fr. shriken to shriek; akin to ON skraekja to shriek] vi (15c) 1: to utter a sharp shrill sound
2. a: to cry out in a high-pitched voice: screech b: to suggest such a cry (as by vividness of expression) "neon colors ~ed for attention --Calvin Tomkins" ~ vt 1: to utter with a shriek or sharply and shrilly "~ an alarm"
2: to express in a manner suggestive of a shriek
[2]shriek n (1590) 1: a shrill usu. wild or involuntary cry
2: a sound resembling a shriek "the ~ of chalk on the blackboard"