English Explanatory Dictionary

crackle

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A prolonged, frequent cracking sound; a fizzing, popping sound.
  2. A style of glaze giving the impression of many small cracks.
  3. The fifth derivative of the position vector with respect to time (after velocity, acceleration, jerk, and jounce), i.e. the rate of change of jounce.
  4. Synonym of crackling (“crispy rind of roast pork”).
verb
  1. To make a prolonged, frequent cracking sound which sounds like fizzing or popping.
  2. To be full of tension or emotion.

Pronunciation

/ˈkɹækəl/ en-us-crackle.ogg

Word forms

crackle crackles crackling crackled

Etymology

From Middle English crakelen, equivalent to crack + -le (frequentative suffix). The physics sense is part of a facetious sequence "snap, crackle, pop", after the mascots of Rice Krispies cereal.

Synonyms

crepitation crackling fizzle sizzle

Related words

craze

Derived words

chocolate crackle crackle glass crackleware pork crackle crackling cracklingly crackling microstar crackly
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