crook 
a bend, fold, wrinkle, = MLH. krnki , l.ml.i. :< 
fold, wrinkle, = Iccl. krokr = Sw. krok = Dan. 
krui/, a crook, hook. Tin- Koin. forms, Pr. rrnc 
= OF. eriM; 1'. </<, a hook (ML. crocus), and 
OF. and F. <-ri>i-lii; a hook (ML. crocn) (> ult. 
K. rriM-lii-l, rrntcliit. cm i< r, q. v.), are of D. or 
Hcand. origin. Cf. Gaol, <;<, :i crook, hook, 
= \V. '/;/, a crook, hook, rrirni, crooked, = 
(prol>. ) L.CC/IJ- (()<-), n, gibbet, cross: sec rni.s.s- ' , 
cross'*, criili-lil, crutch-, cmm-h^, cmiicli-. It is 
possible that tho Tent, forms are of Celtic ori- 
gin; the Celtic and Latin forms may have lost 
an initial .v, in which case they would appear 
to bo cognate with (i. srliriii/. Ml HI. w/im/e, 
oblique, crosswise, > G. Hflinn/i'ii = 1). schrmtg, 
n trestle, prob. akin In Mill!, srliriinc, a lattice, 
inclosure, (i.xi'lirinik, a cabinet.] 1. Any bend, 
turn, or curve; a curvature; a flexure: as, a 
crinil.- in a river or in a piece of timber. 
These sapphire coloured hi ks, 
Whieh. i oiidilit-likc, with curious crook*, 
Sweet ^!;neK make. .Sir /'. Sidney. 
A crook IK iti his hack, 
And a melancholy crack 
In his laugh. 
n. II'. HnliMs, The Last Leaf. 
2. A bending of the knee ; a genuflection. 
Id- i- nuu tin i-.iin-t i;il ; anil well applied 
\\'ith sai-rilire of knees, iif rnn'A'x. ami rniiyes. 
B. Julttnn, SejailUS, I. 1. 
3. A bent or curved part ; a curving piece or 
portion of anything : as, the crook of a cane 
or of an umbrella-handle. 4. An instrument 
or implement having a crook, or distinguished 
by its curved form. Specifically (a) A shepherd's 
stall', curving at tin- end ; a pastoral staff. 
Alexis . . . lost his Crook, he left his Flocks ; 
And wand'ring thro' the lonely Rocks, 
He nourish'd endless Woe. 
Prior, Despairing Shepherd. 
(&) The pastoral staff of a bishop or an ablmt, fashioned in 
the form of a shepherd's stall, as a syint>ol of his sway 
over and care for his hock. Such staves are generally gilt, 
ornamented with juweU, and enriched by carving, etc. 
Compare jiantiiml staff, under ttaff. (c) A hook hung In an 
open chimney to support a |M>t or kettle ; a [>ot-hook or 
trammel. (Scotch.) (d) In music: (1) A short tulte, either 
curved or straight, that may be inserted into various metal 
u iiiil-instrilinents so as to lengthen their tube, and thus 
lower their fundamental tone or key. (2) The curved metal 
tube between the mouthpiece and the body of a bassoon. 
(t) A sic-kle. 
(Juon corne Is coruen with crukrz kene. 
Alliteratitv l'nrum(vA. Morris), i. 40. 
6f. A lock or curl of hair. Compare crocket. 
Thog gur crime lie Ischave, fair beth gnr croltf*. 
lift, .liifi'-/., II. 17.'.. 
6f. A gibbet. 
Kilt 'IVrplne . . . 
She eaiised to l>r iillarhl, and forthwith Inl 
I'nto tht> criwifo-, . . . 
Where he full shamefully was handed by the lied. 
Spenser, V. Q., V. v. 18. 
7t. A support consisting of a post or pile with 
a cross-beam resting upon it; a bracket or 
truss consisting of a vertical piece, a horizontal 
piece, and a strut. 
The ancient Free School of Colue was an antique build- 
ing, supported upon rrookit. 
Rniiu*, Hist. Lancashire, II. 29. 
8. An artifice ; a trick ; a contrivance. 
For all yourbragKes, hm ikes, and criifo', you have such 
a fall as you shall never be able to stain! upright again. 
Crammer, To Bp. Gardiner. 
9. A dishonest person ; one who is crooked in 
conduct; a tricky or underhand schemer; a 
thief; a swindler. [Colloq.] By hook or by 
Crook, KV one means or another ; liy fail- means or foul. 
Ill hope her to attaine li hooke or crooke. 
Spatter, F. Q., III. i. 17. 
They will have It, bji hook or by crook. Medr. 
This phrase derives its origin from the custom of eertaiit 
manors where tenants are uilthori/.ed to take Hre-lK)te by 
httttk or bii criHik that is, so much of the underwood as 
tnuy IN- en' u ill i a i-rnok a sickle], and so much of the low 
timber as may be collected from the boughs by means of a 
hook. Karllrlt, Film. Qnot., p. 637. 
crook (kriik), c. [< ME. croken = MD. kroken, 
kriMiki'ii. 1>. kri'itki'ii = Dan. kriiiir, also kruijc, 
bctnl, krinji't. crooked, = Sw. kriiku, bend, crook, 
krnkiiii, lieeome crooked; from the noun.] I. 
fran*. 1 . To bend ; cause to assume an angular 
or a curved form ; make a curve or hook in. 
Tlii-iv is lint little labour of tin- innseles ri-i|iiired, only 
eOOOgll for bOWlng <>r .-iMi./l-m./ the tail. 
lt<'rh<ii. I'iivMi n Tlu-olojry, v. 11, note. 
2f. To curl (hair). .l//<-ii//c ../' Imril, p. 17<1. 
3. To turn; pervert; misapply. 
Whatsoever atlaii-s pass such a man's hands, he twk'-tti 
them to his own ends. /;,i,-..;i, Wisdom for a Man's Self. 
4f. To thwart. TO crook the elbow, to drink ; be- 
come drunk. |sl:mg.| To crook the mouth, to .listm i 
1359 
tin- mouth, as if about to cry, or as indicating anger or 
displeasure. |Seiiti-|l.l 
II. iiilrniis. 1. To bend or be bent; be turned 
from a right line ; curve; wind. 
Th otlii-i [rii-i-li-i liii-h (i-1-ossinK th Vniiiersall Props, 
Anil thosi- here Titans U hirlinu Chariot sloapo) 
Ki-rt aiejes forms : and, mmkiivi, nits in two 
MI-IT Capricorn ; then- Inu-iiinir raiiecr too. 
.sVr--v'.-r. tr. of l>n Itartas s Weeks, ii . Tin- I'olnnmea. 
The cayle mi^ht li\i- miii-h longer, but that her upper 
beak croakrth in time over the lower, anil so she faileth 
not with age but with hunger. 
J. Gregory, Posthnma (1660), p. 207. 
Specifically 2. To bend the knee ; crouch. 
Sertis, Marie, thon will haue me schamed foray, 
For I can nowthir crukr nor km-le. Ynrk I'layl, p. 168. 
crookback ( kruk'bak), n. One who has a crook- 
ed back or round shoulders; a hunchback. Also 
criniclili/icl, . 
\\ - I'l'i'k-tMH-k : ben- I stand to answer thi-e. 
S*o*., 3 Hen. VI., II. 2. 
crook-backed ( k ruk 'bakt), a. Having a crooked 
back; hunchbacked. 
A man that is brokcnfooted, or hrokcnhanded, or crook- 
oackt, or a dwarf. Lev. xxl. 20. 
A dwarf as well may for a giant pass, 
AH negro for a swan ; a crookback'd lass 
Be call'd Kllropa. 
Drydrn, tr. of Juvenal's Satires. 
crooked (as adj., kruk'ed), n. a. [Pp. of crook, 
v. ; = Dan. krogct, crooked.] 1. Bent; having 
angles or curves ; deviating from a straight line ; 
curved; curving; winding. 
I rther of them may have crooked noses ; but to owe Mich 
straight arms, none. Shak., Cymlietine, iii. 1. 
He and his brother are like plum-trees that grow crookfd 
Over standing pools. Wtbitrr, Duchess of Main, i. 1. 
2. Not straight, in a figurative sense, especially 
as regards rectitude of conduct; not upright or 
straightf orward ; not honest ; wrong ; perverse ; 
cross-grained. 
His clannes (cleanness] A his cortaysye eroked were neiler. 
Sir Uaieayne and I/if Grrrn Knight (E. F.. T. S.), I. ftfiS. 
They are a perverse and croukfd generation. 
I lellt. XXXli. ... 
For, though my justice were as white as truth, 
My way waa crooked to It ; that condemns me. 
Fletcher, Valentinian, v. 3. 
Hence 3. Made or sold in secret, without the 
payment of the taxes or submitting to the 
regulations or inspection required by law : as, 
crooked whisky. [Colloq.] 
And another house testified that it manufactured two 
hundred and twenty-nve thousand gallons a month, and 
that half its entire annual product was crookfd. 
S. A. Rn., CXXIII. 301. 
= 8yn. 1. Bowed, awry, askew, deformed, distorted.- 2. 
Deceitful, tricky, dishonorable, knavish. See irrc<jular. 
crookedly (kruk'ed-li), adv. In a crooked, 
bent, or perverse manner. 
crookedness (kruk'ed-nes), n. 1. A winding, 
bending, or turning ; curvature ; inflection. 
A variety of trout which is naturally deformed, having 
a strange crookednts* near the tail, rennant, Brit. ZoiJl. 
2. Want of rectitude; dishonesty; perverse- 
ness ; obliquity of conduct. 
The very essence of Truth Is plainnesse and brightnes ; 
the darknes and crookednestt is our own. 
Milton, Reformation in Eng., i. 
My will hath been used to croolcednriu and peevish mo- 
rosily in all virtuous employments. 
Jer. Taylor, Repentance, v. t 6. 
3. Physical deformity. 
A severe search to see If there were any crookedntM or 
spot, any uneleanliness or deformity. In their sacrifice. 
Jtr. Taylor, Worthy (.'onimiinicant. 
crookent (kriik'n), v. t. [< crook + -en 1 . Cf. 
Sw. krokna, become crooked.] To make crook- 
ed; pervert. 
Images be of more force to crttoken an unhappy soul 
than to teach and instruct it. 
tlinnilif* Affaiimt Idolatry, Ii. 
crookesite (kruks'it), . [After \V. Crookes, 
an English chemist.] A rare metallic mineral 
consisting of the selenids of copper, thallium, 
and silver. 
Crookes's cubes. See vacuum, and radiant en- 
( ri/i/, under < HI r<ty. 
crobkneck (kriik'nek), a. Having a crooked 
neck: applied to several varieties of squash 
having a long recurved neck, 
crook-rafter (kruk'raf'ter), . Same as knee- 
riifti r. 
crdol (krOl), r. i. [Imitative ; cf. eroodlc, crood, 
cmini. crott.~\ To mutter. Miii.ilii'ii, 1017. 
l-'rou's, from all the waters around, i-mifi-i/, chnlihed, and 
i roaki-d. S. Judd, Margaret, i. 14. 
croon (kriiii), r. [Introduced from Sc. ; Sc. 
also written crinn . crui/n, cmnc ; < ME. croynen, 
hum (sing), = D. kreunen, groan, lament. The 
word in its present form is regarded as imit si- 
crop 
tive. Cf. croo, crnnil, <-m<i<ll<, c<i.] I. intrant. 
1. To utter a low continued murmuring sound 
resembling moaning or lamenting, llenci 
2. To sing softly ami niuiiutonously to one's 
self; hum softly and plaintively. 
II. T the roof 
The doves sat croonimj half the day. 
William J/i/m', Earthly Paradise, I. 108. 
Here an old grandmother was crooning over a nick child, 
and nicking it Uj and fro. Dictm*. 
3. To utter a low muffled roar; bellow monoto- 
nously. [Rare.] 
"Thou bear st that lordly Bull of mine, 
N< jjlitioiir," ijiiiith Itriumkill then; 
" How loudly to the hills he crunci, 
That crune to him again." Soitthfy. 
II. Iran*. To sing in a low humming tone; 
hum ; affect by humming. 
Whiles crooning o'er some auld Scot* sonnet. 
Burnt, Tain o' Shanter. 
The fragment of the childish hymn with which he sung 
and crooned himself asleep. Diekcn*. 
They [catblnls| differ greatly In vocal talent, but all have 
a delightful way of crooning over, and as It were rehears* 
ing, their song In an undertone. 
Lowell, Study Windows, p. 10. 
croon (kr8n), n. [< croon, r.] A low, hollow 
moan or bellow. [Scotch.] 
The deil, or else an outler quey [unhoused heifer], 
Oat up an' gae a croon. Burnt, Halloween. 
croonach (kro'nak), n. [Sc., equiv. to crooner 
and croonyal; so called (as ult. gurnard) from 
the grunting sound it makes ; < croon, crone, 
croyn, grunt, hum, purr, croon, etc. : see croon, 
v. Another 8e. name (Frith of Forth) is croin- 
ter, of similar origin.] A Scotch name of the 
gray gurnard, Trigla gurnardvs. 
crooner (krO'ner), . [Sc., also written croic- 
ner : see croonach.'] Same as croonach. 
crooning (kro'ning), n. [Verbal n. of croon, 
v.] The act of one who croons; a low hum- 
ming or murmuring sound. 
Her dainty ear a fiddle charms, 
A bag.pipe's her delight ; 
- But for the crooning* o' her wheel 
she diaiia' care a mite. 
J. Baillir, The Weary Fund o' Tow. 
croonyal (krS'nial), n. Same as croonacJi. 
crop (krop), ii. [< ME- crop, crojipe, the top or 
head of a plant, crop of grain, the craw of a 
bird, the maw, < AS. crop, crop/i, the top or head 
of a plant, a sprout, a bunch or cluster of flow- 
ers, an ear of corn, the craw of a bird, a kidney, 
= MD. krop, an excrescence, esp. on the neck, 
striima. the craw, maw, gullet, stomach, D. 
krop, the gullet, craw, maw, stomach, gizzard, 
= MLG. krop, an excrescence, esp. on the neck, 
struma, the craw, gullet, the trunk of the body, 
LG. Tcrop, an excrescence on the neck, strunia, 
the craw, maw, = OHG. chroph, kropf, an ex- 
crescence, esp. on the neck, the craw, MHG. 
G. kropf, the craw, G. dial, kropf also the ear 
of grain, a thick round head as of lettuce or cab- 
bage, also a thick, short, dumpy person, man or 
child, etc., and in numerous other senses, = led . 
kroppr, a hunch on the body (cf . kryppa, a hump, 
hunch), = Sw. kropp-, Dan. krop-, craw (in comp. 
Sw. kroppdufva, Dan. kropduc, pouter-pigeon, 
lit. 'crop-dove '), while Sw. kropp, Dan. krop, an 
excrescence on the neck, struma, and the same 
in the sense of ' trunk of the body, body, car- 
cass,' are appar. borrowed from LG. Hence 
(from LG. or Scand.) OF. crope, croupe, top of a 
hill, croup, or cruppe, F. croupe (> E. croup and 
crupper), the hinder parts of a horse ; and (from 
G.) It. groppo, > F. groupe, > E. group, a knot, 
cluster, company: see crope'*, croup*, crupper, 
group. Hence also (from E.) W. cro/ia, craw 
(but Ir. Gael, sgroba, craw, are appar. different). 
The word has a remarkable variety of special 
senses, appar. all derived from an orig. mean- 
ing 'a rounded projecting mass, a protuber- 
ance'; hence (a) the rounded head or top of a 
tree or plant, and sprouting or growing plants 
in general (including by a later development the 
idea of plants (grain) to be cropped or cut : defs. 
1, 2, 3) ; (ft) a physical excrescence on an animal 
or plant, esp. the craw of a bird, whence the 
developed senses 'gullet, maw, stomach,' etc. 
(defs. 4, 5) ; (c) from the noun in the sense of 
' top or head of a plant,' the verb crop, to take 
off or pluck the head, hence cut, etc., whence 
the later secondary noun senses (defs. 6-14).] 
If. The top or highest part of anything, espe- 
cially of an herb or a tree. 
Orete tree* . . . with cropprt bnxle. 
Chaucer, DeaUi of Blanche. I. 424. 
The lilie croppft one and one . . . 
He smote of. (ruuvr, Conf. Ainant., III. 349. 
