Crepuscular, kre-pus′kū-lar, adj. of or pertaining to twilight—also Crepus′culous.—ns. Crepus′cule, Crepus′cle, twilight. [L. crepusculum—creper, dusky, obscure.]
Crescendo, kres-en′dō, adv. (mus.) gradually increasing in force or loudness.—n. a passage marked by this.—Often cres., cresc., or
Crescent, kres′ent, adj. increasing: shaped like the new or old moon.—n. the moon as she increases towards half-moon: a figure like the crescent moon, as that on the Turkish standard: the standard itself: the Turkish power: a range of buildings in curved form.—n. Cres′centade, a religious war for Islam.—adjs. Cres′cented, Crescent′ic, formed like a crescent; Cres′cive (Shak.), increasing. [L. crescens, crescent-is, pr.p. of crescĕre, to grow.]
Cress, kres, n. the name of several species of plants like the water-cress, which grow in moist places, and have pungent leaves used as salads and medicinally.—adj. Cress′y, abounding in cresses. [A.S. cresse, cerse; cf. Dut. kers, Ger. kresse.]
Cresset, kres′et, n. an iron basket, jar, or open lamp filled with combustible material, placed on a beacon, lighthouse, wharf, &c.: a torch generally. [O. Fr. cresset, crasset (Fr. creuset)—Old Dut. kruysel, a hanging lamp.]
Crest, krest, n. the comb or tuft on the head of a cock and other birds: the summit of anything, as a roof-ridge, hill, wave: the mane of a horse, &c.: (anat.) a ridge along the surface of a bone: a plume of feathers or other ornament on the top of a helmet: (her.) an accessory figure originally surmounting the helmet, placed on a wreath, &c., also used separately as a personal cognisance on plate, &c.—v.t. to furnish with, or serve for, a crest, to surmount.—p.adj. Crest′ed, having a crest: (bot.) having an elevated appendage like a crest.—adjs. Crest′fallen, dejected: heartless; Crest′less, without a crest: not of high birth.—ns. Crest′-marine′, rock samphire; Crestol′atry, toadyism. [O. Fr. creste (mod. crête)—L. crista.]
Cretaceous, krē-tā′shus, adj. composed of or like chalk.—adj. Crē′tāted, rubbed with chalk.—n. Cretifac′tion.—v.i. Crē′tify, to become impregnated with salts of lime. [L. cretaceus, from creta, chalk.]
Cretic, krē′tik, adj. and n. Cretan, belonging to Crete: a metrical foot consisting of one short syllable between two long.—n. Crē′tism, a lie.
Cretinism, krē′tin-izm, n. a state of defective mental development, associated with bodily deformity or arrested growth, occurring esp. in connection with enlargement of the thyroid gland or goitre in the lower Alpine valleys.—n. Crē′tin, one affected with cretinism.—adjs. Crē′tinous, Crē′tinised. [Fr. crétin—Swiss crestin—L. christian-us, prob. implying that, after all, they are human, or that they are (from their fatuousness) incapable of sin—cf. the frequent use of innocent.]