Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Origin: scritch 'to screech' (13-20 centuries), from the sound

screech

 verb
     
screech
1 [intransitive and transitive] to shout loudly in an unpleasant high voice because you are angry, afraid, or excited [= shriek, scream]:
'Look out!' she screeched.
screech at
She screeched at me to take off my muddy shoes.
2 [intransitive] if a vehicle screeches, its wheels make a high unpleasant noise as it moves along or stops:
A van screeched onto the road in front of me.
—screech noun [countable]
a screech of laughter
a screech of tyres
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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