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de·cry

(dĭ-krī)

tr.v. de·cried, de·cry·ing, de·cries

a. To condemn as wrong or reprehensible: "an editorial in which he decried the proliferation of cheap handguns" (Bill Turque).

b. To express disapproval of (a person); denounce: "I could not bear to hear my old nurse so decried" (Charles Dickens). See Synonyms at criticize.

2. To depreciate (currency, for example) by official proclamation or by rumor.

[French décrier, from Old French descrier : des-, de- + crier, to cry; see CRY.]

de·crier n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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