crackle

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.

noun

1. A prolonged, frequent cracking sound; a fizzing, popping sound.
   I heard a crackle from the frying pan as I was frying bacon.
   There was an annoying crackle during the phone call, due to poor connection.
2. (pottery) A style of glaze giving the impression of many small cracks.
3. (physics) 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”)
   By the look on my face I must have anticipated the joy of the crackle, apparently having come to look forward to the roast pig that appeared only at gatherings such as this. I bet I asked for another piece once I was done. 2017, Edgar Maranan, Len Maranan-Goldstein, A Taste of Home: Pinoy Expats and Food Memories

verb

1. (intransitive) To make a prolonged, frequent cracking sound which sounds like fizzing or popping.
   a crackling fire
2. Misspelling of cackle.