cratch, to scratch; ‘I cratche with my nayles’, Palsgrave. ME. cracche, to scratch (Chaucer, C. T. A. 2834.).
craze, to break, crack, burst. Richard III, iv. 4. 17; ‘Craze bars’, Heywood, The Fair Maid, iii. 4 (Bess); ‘God will craze their chariot wheels’, Milton, P. L. xii. 210. Still in use in the west country in the sense of to ‘crack’, said of glass, china, or church bells (EDD.).
creak; see [cry creak].
creancer, creauncer, one to whom is entrusted the charge of another; a guardian; a tutor. Skelton, ed. Dyce, i. 129, l. 102; id. Garl. of Laurell, 1226. Deriv. of OF. creance, belief, trust, Med. L. credentia, ‘fides data’ (Ducange).
creeking; see [kreking].
creeple, a cripple. Bible, Acts xiv. 8 (1611). ME. crepel, crepul (Chaucer, Tr. and Cr. 1458). OE. crēopel, a cripple (B. T., Suppl. s.v. crypel).
creme, chrism, the sacred oil used for anointing kings at coronation; ‘A kynge enoynted with creme’, Morte Arthur, leaf 202. 36; bk. ix, c. 39. ME. creme, chrism, OF. creme, cresme (mod. chrême). L. chrisma, Gk. χρῖσμα, anointing oil.
cres’, a crest. Three Ladies of London, in Hazlitt’s Dodsley, vi. 351. A peculiar form, to rime with grease. See Dict. (s.v. Crease).
crescive, growing. Hen. V, i. 1. 66.
crevis, a crayfish. Appius and Virginia, in Hazlitt’s Dodsley, iv. 118. ‘Crevisse’ is a north-country word (EDD.). OF. crevice, crevisse, see Hatzfeld (s.v. Écrevisse).