16c. variant of scrycke (c. 1200), from Old Norse skrækja "to screech" (see screech), probably of imitative origin. Related: Shrieked; shrieking. The noun is attested from 1580s, from the verb.
shredder
shrew
shrewd
shrewish
Shrewsbury
shriek
shrift
shrike
shrill
shrimp
shrine