cock-crow

The rooster's loud cock-crow wakes the farmer at dawn.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • The time of early morning: "cock-crow" refers to the early morning period, typically around dawn, when roosters (male chickens) begin to crow. It is used as a time reference, often indicating the break of day.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • They set out at cock-crow to avoid the midday heat. (They departed at dawn.)
  • The village wakes at cock-crow, when the roosters begin their calls. (The village becomes active at the early morning hour.)

Advanced Usage

• "at cock-crow": used as an adverbial phrase meaning "at dawn" or "very early in the morning."

  • The farmer rises at cock-crow to tend to the animals. (He gets up at the break of day.)

• "cock-crow" as a poetic or literary term: often appears in literature to evoke a sense of rural life, vigilance, or the passage of time.

  • The watchman ended his shift at cock-crow, as the first light appeared. (His duty concluded at dawn.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cockcrow (n): an alternative spelling of "cock-crow," meaning the same thing.

  • The soldiers marched at cockcrow. (They marched at dawn.)

• Cock (n): a male chicken or rooster.

  • The cock crowed loudly at sunrise. (The rooster made its call.)

Synonyms

• Dawn: the time of day when light first appears.
• Daybreak: the moment when the sun rises.
• Sunrise: the appearance of the sun above the horizon.
• First light: the initial light of day.

Related Idioms

• "before the cock crows": derived from the Biblical story of Peter, meaning "before a short time passes" or "very soon."
  • He promised to return before the cock crows, but he was delayed. (He said he would come back very soon.)