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CRD 



CROTA'LUM, an ancient kind of casta 

 net used by the Corybantes, or priests o 

 Cybele. 



CRO'TON. 1. The Greek name of the 



dog-tick. 2. The name of a genus of 



plants, mostly shrubs, inhabiting hot cli- 

 inattvf OJass Monaccia ; order Monodel- 

 phia. The C. cascariita affords the casca 

 rilla bark; the C. tiglium affords the 

 parana wood and tiglia seeds, from which 

 croton oil is obtained; the C. tinctorium 

 produces the litmus or turnsol. 



CROTO'NE, a fungus on trees produced 

 by an insect like a tick (%%OTOV, the tick), 

 and applied to small fungous excrescences 

 on the periosteum. 



CKOTON'IC ACID, an acid obtained from 

 croton oil. 



CKO'TON OIL, a powerful purgative oil, 

 obtained by expression from the tiglia 

 seeds (seeds of the Croton tiglium), which 

 is a native of Ceylon, Malabar, China, 

 and the Moluccas. 



CROCP. 1. Fr. croupe, the hindermost 



parts of a horse. 2. Scot, croup or 



crowp ; an affection of the throat accom- 

 panied by a hoarse and permanently la- 

 borious and suffocative breathing, a stri- 

 dulous noise, a short and dry cough, and 

 frequently, towards the close, an expec- 

 toration of concrete membranous spu- 

 tum. Of this disease there are three va- 

 rieties, the acute, the chronic, and the 

 spasmodic. The first species is both com- 

 mon and fatal among children under 12 

 years of age, the second is rare, and the 

 third is rather a nervous than an inflam- 

 matory diss*se. 



CROCP'ADE. In the mantge, a leap in 

 which the horse throws up his croup and 

 pulls up his hind legs, as if he drew them 

 up to his belly. 



CROUP'ER, a leathern strap attached to 

 a saddle, and fitted to go under the tail of 

 the horse to keep the saddle in its place. 



CROW. 1. In ornithology, a name com- 

 mon to all the species of the genus Corvus, 



Lin., from the cry of these birds. 2. In 



mechanics, a bar of iron with a hook at 

 one end and having the other pointed, 

 used chiefly by masons and bricklayers 



for moving heavy weights. 3. The 



butcher's name for the mesentery or 

 ruffle of a beast. 



CUOW-FOOT. 1. In ships, a complica- 

 tion of small cords spreading out from a 

 long block ; used to suspend the awnings, 

 to keep the topsails from chafing against 

 the tops. 2. In botany, a name com- 

 mon to all the species of the genus Ra- 

 nunculus. 3. In military affairs, a cal- 

 trop. 



CROWN. 1. A cap of state. 2. A sil- 

 ver coin worth 5s. 3. In anatomy, the 



vertex of the head. 1. In architecture, 



the upper part of a cornice, including the 

 corona. 5. In geometry, a plane ring 



included between two concentric peri- 

 meters. 6. In astronomy (See COKOSA). 



7. Among jewellers, the upper work 



of the rose-diamond. 



CROWN-CLASS, the best sort of window 

 glass. 



CROWN'ING. 1. In architecture, the fin 

 ishing of a member or any ornamental 



work. 2. Among seamen, the finishing 



of a knot or the interweaving of the 

 strands. 



CROWN'-OFFICE, an office belonging to 

 the Court of Queen's Bench, of which the 

 Queen's coroner or attorney is commonly 

 master, and in which the attorney- gene- 

 ral and clerk exhibit infw --ions for 

 crimes and misdemeanours. 



CROWN-POST, in building, a post which 

 stands upright between two principal 

 rafters. 



CROWN-SCALE. In farriery, a cancerous 

 sore formed round the corners of a horse's 

 hoof. 



CROWN-WHEEL. In a watch, the upper 

 wheel, which by its motion drives the 

 balance. 



CROWN-WORK. In fortification, an out- 

 work having a large gorge and two long 

 sides terminating towards the field in two 

 demi-bastions, intended to inclose a rising 

 ground or cover an entrenchment. 



CRU'UBLE, a chemical vessel indispen- 

 sable in the various operations of fusion 

 by heat. Crucibles are commonly made 

 of fire-clay, so tempered and baked as to 

 endure extreme heat without melting. 

 To render them more refractory, the clay 

 may be mixed with some finely ground 

 cement of old crucibles, a portion of black- 

 lead, and some coak. The black-lead cru- 

 cibles are made of two parts of graphite, 

 and one of fine clay, made into a paste 

 with water : they bear a higher heat than 

 the Hessian crucibles, which consist simply 

 of clay and sand : these have a triangular 

 shape. Crucibles are made of various 

 other materials, as iron, platinum, &c. 



CRC'CIFER^, the name given to a large 

 order of plants, .from crux and fero, be- 

 cause the petals, four in number, are so 

 arranged as to resemble a cross. The 

 radish, cabbage, stock, &c., are cruciferous 

 or cruciform plants. They all belong to 

 the Linnaean class Tetradynamia. 



CRTJ'CIFORM, Lat. cruciformis, cross-like. 

 Applied to flowers, leaves, &c., which 

 have the shape of a cross. 



CRU'OR (Lat.), the red part of the blood, 

 from XQUO;, cold, it being that which ap- 

 pears as coagulum as the blood cools. 



CRUP'PER, a roll of leather attached to 

 the saddle, passed under a horse's tail, to 

 prevent the saddle from moving forward 

 on the neck of the horse. 



CRUSET', Fr. creuset ; a goldsmith's cru- 

 cible or melting pot. 



CBUST. In geology, that portion of out 



