CRO 



254 



CRO 



is extensively cultivated in England for 

 medicinal purposes, and for the colouring 

 matter of its dowers (See SAFFRON). The 

 story of young Crocus, turned into this 

 flower, may be seen in the fourth book of 



Ovid's Metamorphoses. 2. A name 



Driven by the older chemists to several 

 preparations of metallic substances, from 

 their yellow colour, as C. mortis, calcined 

 sulphate of iron ; C. metallorum >, metallic 

 crocus), sulphuretted oxide of antimony; 

 C. veneris, oxide of copper, formed by cal- 

 cining the metal. 



CHOIS'SANTE CROIX (French), a crescent 

 at each end. 



CROM'LECHS, rude erections of great an- 

 tiquity, found in many parts of Britain. 

 They consist of huge flat stones, raised 

 upon other stones set up on end. By some 

 they are regarded as tombs, by others it 

 is imagined that they are Druidical 

 altars, erected for sacrificial purposes. 



CROP-OUT, a term used by miners to ex- 

 press the rising up at the surface of one 

 or more strata ; thus a stratum rising to 

 the surface is said to crop-out. 



CHORE. In commerce, 100 lacs of rupees. 



CROSET'TZS, in architecture, the same as 

 ancones. 



CRO'SIER. 1. A bishop's crook or pas- 

 toral staff; a symbol of pastoral autho- 

 rity and care. It was originally a staff 

 with a cross on the top in the form of a 



T. 2. In astronomy, four stars in the 



southern hemisphere in the form of a 

 cross. 



CROS'LET. In heraldry, a little cross 

 crossed at a small distance from the ends. 



CROSS, from Lat. crux, through Fr. 

 croiz; an instrument used in surveying 

 for the purpose of raising perpendiculars. 

 It consists merely of two pairs of sights 

 set at right angles to each other, mounted 

 on a staff of a convenient height for use. 

 In heraldry, the most ancient and noble 

 of all the honourable ordinaries, which 

 contains one-fifth of the field, and is 

 formed by the meeting of two perpendi- 

 cular with two horizontal lines near the 

 fess point, where they make four right 

 angles. 



CROSS-BANDED, a term applied to a ve- 

 neer on a hand-rail, the grain of which 

 crosses that of the rail. 



CROSS-BAR-SHOT, a cannon-ball with an 

 iron bar passing through it, and project- 

 ing a few inches on each side ; used in 

 naval' actions for cutting the enemy's 

 rigging. 



CROSS-BEAM. In architects, t , a large 

 beam passing from wall to wall, and serv- 

 ing to hold the sides of a house together. 



CROSSBH.L. 1. In ornithology, a name 

 common to all the species of the genus 

 Loxia, Bris. ; but especially applied to 

 the I. curcirostra, Lin. The beak is 

 compressed, and the two mandibles rre 



so strongly curved that their points croM 

 each other, sometimes on the one side and 

 sometimes on the other. 2. In chan- 

 cery, an original bill by which the defend- 

 ant prays relief against the plaintiff. 



CROSS-BOW, a missive weapon formed 

 by placing a bow athwart a stock of the 

 form of a musket. 



CROSS-CUT SAW, a saw managed by two 

 men, one at each end. 



CROSS-JACK. (Cro-jcck), a sail extended 

 on the lower yard of the rnizen-mast; 

 seldom used. 



CROSSES, STONE. In antiquities, preach- 

 ing crosses are in general quadrangular or 

 hexagonal, open on one or both sides, 

 and raised on steps. Market CTO.SO aiv 

 well known. Crosses of memorial were 

 raised on various occasions. Crosses 

 served also as landmarks. 



CROSSET'TES, Fr., called also ears, eibws, 

 ancones, prothyrides. In architecture, the 

 returns on the corners of door-cases or 

 window frames. 



CROSS-HEAD. In mechanics, any cross- 

 beam or bar is so called. 



CROSS-PIECE, a rail of timber extending 

 over the windlass of a ship, furnished 

 with pins to which to fasten the rigging 

 as occasior requires. 



CROSS-STAFF, an instrument formerly 

 used at sea to take the meridian altitude 

 of the sun. 



CROSS-TREES. In ships, pieces of tim- 

 ber supported by the cheeks and trestle- 

 trees at the upper ends of the lower 

 masts, to sustain the frame of the top, 

 and on the top-masts to extend the top- 

 gallant shrouds. 



CROSS-VAULTING, a common name given 

 to groins and cylindrlc vaults. 



CRO'TALUS, the rattlesnake, a genus of 

 serpents remarkable for the intensity of 

 their venom, and the rattle which termi- 

 nates the tail (wl^nce the generic name 

 from XPOTC&OV, a rattle^. This rattle is 

 formed by several scaly cornets, loosely 

 fitted into each other, which move and 

 produce the peculiar noise whenever they 

 crawl or shake that part of the body. 

 Four species are found in America. 



CROTCH, Fr. croc, a hook. 1. A crooked 

 timber placed on the keel in the fore and 



aft parts of a ship. 2. A piece of wood 



or iron opening on the top, and extend- 

 ing two horns or arms like a half- moon, 

 for supporting a boom, a square topmast, 

 yards, &c. 



CROTCHET, Fr. crochet, croche, from croc, 



a hook. 1. In printing, see BRACKETS. 



2. In carpentry, see BRACKET. 3. In ob- 

 stetrics, a curved instrument with a hook, 

 used to extract the fcetus id the operation 



of embryotomy. 4. In music, a note 



equal in" time 'to half a minim 1 



and the double of a quaver, 

 marked thus : l"~" 



