croft 
1358 
Erles & barons & knijtes thereto 
Hatibeth bisoust the pope croiserie bigmne 
Upe [the] & thine. Robert of Gloucester, p. 502. 
Crist taujte not to his heerde [shepherd] to reise up a 
crmiserie and kille his sheep. 
Wijclif, Select Works (ed. Arnold), I. 307. 
on the downs, high and dry land, D. kroft, a 
hillock. Perhaps Celtic : cf . Gael, croit, a hump, 
hillock, croft ; cruacli, a pile, heap, stack, hill, 
verb crnach, pile up, heap up ; Ir. croit, a hump, 
a small eminence ; crunch, a pile, a rick, verb 
cruachaim, I pile up; W. cnuj, a hump, hillock.] croislett, A crucible. See 
A small piece of inclosed ground used for pas- croissant, croisant, a. and n. 
ture, tillage, or other purposes ; any small tract 
of land; a very small farm : applied especially 
to the small farms on the western coast and isl- 
ands of Scotland. 
Bi this lyflode [livelihood] I mot lyuen til Lammasse tyme ; 
I5i that, ich hope forte haue heruest in ray croft. 
Piers Plowman (A), vii. 277. 
Tending my flocks hard by i' the hilly crofts, 
That brow this bottom-glade. Milton, Comus, 1. 531. 
A little croft we owned a plot of corn, 
A garden stored with peas and mint and thyme, 
And flowers for posies. 
Wordsworth, Guilt and Sorrow, st. 24. 
e,i';Sse,S. h fc1 a3^SrSSW-',ffKK 
iwiu ( F [< OF. crois- 
sa>it"'F^~croi!isaiit, crescent: see crescent.'] I.t 
a. Crescent. 
Croissant or new moone. 
Puttenham, Arte of Eng. Poesie, p. 119. 
So often as she [the Moone] is seene westward after 
the sunne is gone downe, . . . she is croisant, and in her 
first quarter. Holland, tr. of Pliny, xviii. 32. 
II. . It. A crescent. 
In these pavilions were placed fifteen Olympian Knights, 
upon seats a little embowed near the form of a croisant. 
Beaumont, Masque of Inner-Temple. 
2. [F. pron. krwo-son'.] In armor, the gusset 
of plate when crescent-shaped: a form which 
after bucking or soaking in an alkaline dye, by 
exposing to the sun and air. 
it is termed, is much shortened. 
W. Crookes, Dyeing and Calico-printing, p. 58. 
crofter (krof'ter), n. [< croft + -!.] One who 
occupies or cultivates a croft ; specifically, a 
small farmer on the western coast and islands 
of Scotland. The Scotch crofter is a small land-tenant, 
were 
he sil- 
century, especially for the defense of the arm- 
pit. 
crokardt, n. [Origin obscure.] A name given 
to base coins imported into Englan 
merchants in the thirteenth century. They 
made of alloyed silver, and were meant to imitate tin 
ver pennies then legally current in England. 
crokert (kro'ker), n. One who cultivates or 
deals in saffron (crocus). Holinshed. 
^^^^^^^^^^^ff^^r^^^' _,. _ 
Irish cottier. see chroma.'] In music, an eighth note, or qua- , Jw/,,, 
crognett, . [A corrupt form of cronet, cornets.] yei . Algo cronle an d formerly chroma. i" v f . 
Same as .coronal, 2. Wrigl;' ' 52s=v - ^ -, , A v_i, , 
crohol (kro'hol), . [Swit 
of Bern in Switzerland, equal to about 90 Unit- gen us Sylmetta, the S. rufescens. 2. A specific 
ed States cents. name of the Madagascan courol, Leptosomus dis- 
crointer (kroin'ter), . Same as croonach. color. It was madebyVonReichenbach(1849)a 
croist, n. [ME. crois, croys, croice, croyce, croiz, generic name of this bird, in the form Crombus. 
croyz, creoiz, < OF. crois, croiz, croix, F. croix, crombie (krom'i), n. Same as criimmie. 
a cross: see further under cross 1 .] 1. A gib- cromchruach, n. [Ir., appar. < crom, a god, 
bet : same as cross 1 , 1. a n idol, + cruach, red.] An idol worshiped in 
Ireland before the conversion of the Irish to 
crook 
the struggle with Charles I. of England, and in 
1653 was chosen lord protector of the common- 
wealth of England, with sovereign powers. 
The most influential [in shaping the multiform charac- 
ter of England] were the men of the Elizabethan and Crom- 
wellian, and the intermediate periods. 
S. Smiles, Character, p. 35. 
II. n. An adherent of Oliver Cromwell; a 
soldier who fought under Cromwell. 
cronach (kro'nak), . A variant of coronach. 
crone (kron), TO. [Early mod. E. also croane, < 
ME. crone, an old woman ; cf . OD. kronie, an old 
ewe. Origin unknown; hardly, as some sug- 
gest, < Ir. crion, dry, withered, old, sage, = Gael. 
crion, dry, withered, mean, etc. ; Ir. crionaim, I 
wither, = Gael, crion, wither, = W. crinio, with- 
er. Seecrowy.] 1. A feeble and withered old 
woman: used depreciatively, and sometimes 
applied, with increased contempt, to a man. 
This olde sowdanesse, this cursed crone, 
Hath with her frendes doon this cursed dede. 
Chaucer, Man of Law's Tale (ed. Skeat), 1. 432. 
A few old battered crones of office. 
Disraeli, Coningsby, 11. 1. 
Withered crones abound in the camps, where old men 
are seldom seen. R. F. Burton, El-Medinah, p. 322. 
2. An old ewe. 
Fresh herrings plenty Michell brings, 
With fatted crones and such old things. 
Tusser, Fanner's Daily Diet. 
cronebane, . A copper coin or token in circula- 
tion in Ireland toward the close of the eighteenth 
century. It was of the value of a halfpenny. 
[Var. of coronet, coronal.'] 
n. 
. e when used as a bearing, 
crombec (krom'bek), . [F .] 1. A book-name et ' (kr o' net ), . [Var. of coronet, cornet^.} 
The old crown o f a small sylvime bird of South Africa of the 1 Th v hai whi h growsover thetop of a horse's 
- , , _ , , same as cronel. 
ilWtl ** . **1 WW *' " 
He toke his deth upon the crois. 
(lower, Conf. Amant., I. 272. 
2. A structure or monument in the form of a ver image surrounded by twelve little brazen 
cross: same as cross 1 , 2. ones. 
A croiz ther stod in the wei. cromeM, A Middle English form of crumb*. 
Life of St. Christopher (Early Eng. Poems, ed. Furnivall), crome- (krom), n. [E. dial., also crombe, croom; 
[1. 48. 
3. A crucifix: same as cross 1 , 3. 4. A mark or 
sign in the form of a cross: same as cross 1 , 4. 
Heo made the signe of the crois. 
Seyn Julian (ed. Cockayne), 1. 76. 
croist, ' * [ME. croisen, croicen, crpici-en, < 
OF. croiser, croisier, creisier, F. croiser, cross, se 
croiser, take the cross, engage in a crusade; 
from the noun : see crois, n., and cf. cross 1 , '., 
of which crois is ult. a doublet.] 1. To mark 
the sign of the cross upon: same as cross 1 , 3. 
He nolde forjete nojt . . . 
To croici thrie [thrice] his foreheued & his breost also. 
St. Edmund the Confessor (Early Eng. Poems, ed. 
[Furnivall), 1. 27. 
2. To mark or designate with the sign of the 
cross, as a pilgrim or a crusader. 
croisadet, [Also croisado, croysado (a false 
form, after crmado), < F. croisade, a crusade: 
see crusade.'] 1. A crusade. 
A pope of that name [Urban] did first institute the croi- 
sado. Bacon, Holy War. 
The croisade was not appointed by Pope Urban alone, 
but by the council of Clement. Jortin, On Eccles. Hist. 
, 
< MK cromej crombe , crowmbe, a hook, crook, < 
AS. crumb, bent : see crumpl, of which crome^is 
krong'ger), n. [E. dial. ; origin ob- 
A local English (Warwickshire) name 
of the crucian carp. 
Cronian (kro'ni-an), a. [< L. Cronius, neut. Cro- 
nium, sc. mare, Gr. Kp6vtof uKsav6c, the north- 
ern or frozen sea, lit. the Saturnian sea, < Cro- 
nus, Gr. Kpovof, Saturn.] An epithet applied 
to the north polar sea. [Rare.] 
As when two polar winds, blowing adverse 
Upon the Cronian sea, together drive 
Mountains of ice. Milton, P. L., x. 290. 
cronk (krongk), n. [Imitative.] The cry of the 
wild goose. Also honk (which see). 
. crum, en : see , cronng . Same as cranock. 
ult. a doublet.] A hook; a crook; a staff with Cronste 6 ,i tite (kron'stet-it), n. [< A. F. Cron- 
a hooked end ; specifically, a sort of rake with 
a long handle used in pulling weeds, etc., out 
of the water. [Prov. Eng.] 
As soon as a sufficient quantity [of weeds] are collected 
on the dam, they are drawn out " 
A. Hunter, 
Same as croma. 
stedt, a Swedish mineralogist "(1722-65), + 
-ite 2 .] A black to dark-green mineral with mi- 
caceous cleavage, occurring in tapering hex- 
agonal prisms or fibrous diverging groups ; a 
hydrous silicate of iron and manganese, found 
at localities in Bohemia and in Cornwall, Eng- 
land. 
TrtSUfraa ^oJL w ;r c o;rS)i= 0^. ^ ***. 
2. A cross. 
Like the rich croisade on th' imperiall ball, 
As much adorning as surmounting all. 
Zouch, The Dove (1613, Wright). 
croisadot, See croisade. 
croisant, a. and w. See croissant. 
croiset, croiseet, n. [< F. croise, a crusader, 
prop. pp. of croiser, cross, se croiser,' take the 
cross, engage in a crusade : see crois, v.~] A 
soldier or pilgrim engaged in a crusade and 
wearing a cross ; a crusader. 
The necessity and weakness of the eroises. 
Burke, Abridg. of Eng. Hist. 
When the English croisees went into the East in the first 
Crusade, A. D. 1096, they found St. George ... a great ....nmmpi 
warrior-saint amongst the Christians of those parts. 1BT ' ' 
croTO (= Ir. Gael, crom), bent, bowed, + llech, 
= Ir. leac = Gael, leac, leaclid, a flat stone.] 
In archa:ol., a 
structure con- 
sisting of a 
large, flat, un- 
hewn stone 
resting hori- 
zontally upon 
three or more 
upright stones, 
of common occurrence in parts of Great Britain, 
Cromlech at Lanyon, Corn 
crony (kro'ni), n.; pi. cronies (-niz). [Var. of 
crone.] It. A feeble and withered old woman ; 
a crone. 
Marry not an old crony or a fool for money. Burton. 
2. An old familiar friend; an intimate com- 
panion ; an associate. 
To oblige your crony Swift, 
Bring our dame a New-year's gift. 
Swift, To Janus, on New-year's Day. 
At his elbow, Souter Johnny, 
His ancient, trusty, drouthy crony ; 
Tain lo'ed him like a vera brither. 
Burns, Tarn o' Shanter. 
as in Wales, Devonshire, Cornwall, and Ireland, roQ / krjj N ^ [Imitative var. of coo : see coo 
and in Brittany and other parts of Europe. and v croo( j.] To coo. [North. Eng.] 
From cromlechs having been found m the heart of burial- . rulJ\ , r Alo^ Txn-itton rrmifl frmrHf 
mounds or barrows, with their rude chambers abound- CTOOd (krod), V. ^. [Also wri n crowd, CTO! 
ing with sepulchral remains, as skeletons or urns, they cf. (TOO, COO/ all imitative words. J lo COO, 
_g with sepi 
are supposed to have been sepulchral monuments. 
called dolmen. 
Also croodle. [Scotch.] 
Thro' the braes the cushat croodi 
Wi' wailfu' cry. 
Burns, To William Simpson. 
That gray king, whose name, a ghost, 
Streams like a cloud, man-shaped, from mountain peak, 
And cleaves to cairn and cromlech still. ,, , ., ..,-,,. 
Tennyson, To the Queen, croodle 1 (kro dl), v_. t. ; pret. ai I pp. 
One mighty relic survives in the monument now called 
Kit's Coty House, a cromlech, which had been linked in 
old days by an avenue of huge stones to a burial ground 
some few miles off, near the village of Addington. 
ppr. croodlinf/. [Also written crouale; freq. ot 
crood, coo.] ' To coo like a dove ; hence, to coax 
or fawn. [Scotch.] 
ear the village of Addington. w/Mlln2 fkrn'rlll tm 
J. R. Green, Making of Eng. , p. 34. CTOOttle M),V. , I>1 < 
,i T>r>r. crooannq. fUj. dial.; 
iddle English form of crmfii. ,,.!;, t^ Q tl, 
A Middle English form of cn,^- 1 
pret. and pp. croodled, 
perhaps & freq. of 
croisedt, [< crois + -ed 2 .] Wearing a cross, 
as a crusader. 
The inhabitants thereof . . . were by the eroded knights 
. . . conuerted vnto the Christian faith. 
Hakluyt'a Voyages, I. 225. 
croiseet, . See croise. 
croiseryt, . [ME. croiserye, croiserie, creysery, 
creyserye, < OF. croiserie, a crusade, < crois, cross : 
see crois and cross 1 .] A crusade. 
MU , 08B1 r. , i,i ose ' together.] 1. To cower; 
Archceologia.V.w. cromorna (kro-mor na), n. crouc h ; brood; cuddle; lie close and snug. 
rupted to cremona (see cremona 2 ); < F. cro- 
morne, < G. krummhorn, lit. crooked horn : sec 
krummhorn.'] In organ-buildinf/, a reed-stop, or 
set of pipes with reeds, giving a tone like that 
of a clarinet. 
Cromwellian (krom'wel-i-an), . and H. [< 
Cromwell + -inn.'] I. . Of or pertaining to 
[Prov. Eng.] 
O whaur hae ye been a' the day, 
My little wee croodlin doo? 
The Croodlin Doo (Child's Ballads, II. 363). 
As a dove to fly home to her nest and croodle there. 
Kin/islet/. 
2. To feel cold. [Prov. Eng.] 
Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), who'became com- crook (kriik), n. [< ME. croke, crol; prob. < AS. 
mander-in-chief of the parliamentary forces in *croc (not found) = MD. kroke, krooke, D. krcuk, 
