Cringe, krinj, v.i. to bend or crouch with servility: to submit: to fawn: to flatter with mean servility.—n. a servile obeisance.—ns. Cringe′ling, Crin′ger, one who cringes.—adv. Crin′gingly, in an obsequious manner. [Related to A.S. crincan, cringan, to shrink. Cf. Crank, weak.]
Cringle, kring′gl, n. a small piece of rope worked into the bolt-rope of a sail, and containing a metal ring or thimble. [Teut.; cf. Ger. kringel.]
Crinite. See Crinal, Crinoidea.
Crinkle, krink′l, v.t. to twist, wrinkle, crimp.—v.i. to wrinkle up, curl.—n. a wrinkle.—adj. Crink′ly, wrinkly.—n. and adj. Crink′um-crank′um, a word applied familiarly to things intricate or crooked.
Crinoidea, krī-noid′ē-a, n.pl. a class of Echinodermata, sometimes called feather-stars or sea-lilies, and well known in fossil forms as encrinites or stone-lilies.—n. Cri′nite, a fossil crinoid.—adjs. and ns. Crinoid′, Crinoid′ean.—adj. Crinoid′al. [Gr. krinon, a lily, and eidos, form.]
Crinoline, krin′o-lin, n. a name originally given by the French modistes to a stiff fabric of horse-hair, employed to distend women's attire: a hooped petticoat or skirt made to project all round by means of steel-wire: a netting round ships as a guard against torpedoes.—n. Crin′olette, a small crinoline causing the dress to project behind only—akin to the bustle and dress-improver.—adj. Crin′olined. [Fr., crin—L. crinis, hair, and lin—L. linum, flax.]
Crinose, krī′nōs, adj. hairy. [L. crinis, hair.]
Crio-sphinx, krī′ō-sfingks, n. a ram-headed sphinx. [Gr. krios, a ram, sphingx, a sphinx.]
Cripple, krip′l, n. a lame person.—adj. lame.—v.t. to make lame: to lame: disable, impair the efficiency of.—ns. Cripp′ledom; Cripp′ling, a prop set up as a support against the side of a building. [A.S. crypel; conn. with Creep.]
Crisis, krī′sis, n. point or time for deciding anything, the decisive moment or turning-point:—pl. Crises (krī′sēz). [Gr. krisis, from krinein, to separate.]