crescent

noun

cres·cent | \ˈkre-sᵊnt

Definition of crescent

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : the moon at any stage between new moon and first quarter and between last quarter and the succeeding new moon when less than half of the illuminated hemisphere is visible

b : the figure of the moon at such a stage defined by a convex (see convex sense 1a) and a concave (see concave entry 1 sense 2) edge

2 : something shaped like a crescent The crescent is used as the symbol of Islam.

crescent

adjective

Definition of crescent (Entry 2 of 3)

: marked by an increase : increasing "My powers are crescent … "— William Shakespeare

Crescent

trademark

Cres·cent | \ˈkre-sᵊnt

Definition of Crescent (Entry 3 of 3)

—used for an adjustable open-end wrench

Other Words from crescent Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about crescent

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Did You Know?

Adjective

You probably know "crescent" as the shape of a moon that is less than half-illuminated. These days, "crescent" is generally used of either a waxing or waning moon, but that wasn't always the case. Originally, it referred only to the increasing illumination phase that immediately follows the new moon. That original meaning nicely reflects the meaning of the word's Latin ancestor crescere, which means "to grow." The meaning of "crescere" also shines through when we use "crescent" as an adjective meaning "increasing" or "growing." English speakers have been using "crescent" in this way since the 16th century.

Examples of crescent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

One of the highlights is the new entrance into the arch, a light-gathering disk with a westward facing crescent entryway. — Gary Garth, USA TODAY, "Gateway Arch: An American classic gets a major overhaul," 29 June 2018 The state is looking at a drastic change of plans: creating a vast, 40-mile network of both free and toll lanes, and using future toll income on projects up and down the suburban crescent. — Morning Brief, The Seattle Times, "More on the Maryland newspaper shooting, and the Special Olympics USA Games come to town | Friday Morning Brief, June 29," 29 June 2018 There are more than 30 along Thorncliffe Park Drive, a crescent road that runs less than a mile cradling the school. — Catherine Porter, New York Times, "1 Neighborhood. 24 Kindergarten Classes. 40 Languages. (Some Miming Helps.)," 29 June 2018 Where skies were cloudy, mosques relied on the sighting of the crescent by mosques in sunnier places. — Sabeeha Rehman, WSJ, "How America Makes Ramadan Easier," 31 May 2018 Other standouts include a bronze version of the Atacama cuff ($790), whose thin crescent form is a nod to the shape of the Atacama Desert. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "This Beyoncé-Approved Designer Is Making Ancient Jewelry Modern," 2 Apr. 2018 Or as if the Appalachian Mountains were actually a massive river, and this crescent was its delta. — Dino Grandoni, Washington Post, "The Energy 202: Scott Pruitt is still under investigation by EPA watchdog," 13 July 2018 Over the course of a month, the moon will assume many different forms, emerging as a bright sphere during the full moon phase; in diverse crescent shapes during its waxing and waning phases; and then as entirely invisible during the new moon phase. — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, "What Your Moon Sign Reveals About Your Emotional Personality," 23 Apr. 2018 The seat, likely from the late 19th century, was hewn from a hunk of driftwood into a crescent shape, just large enough for a grown man to sit on. — Krista Langlois, Smithsonian, "Why Scientists Are Starting to Care About Cultures Who Talk to Whales," 6 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crescent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for crescent

Noun

Latinization of Middle English cressant, cressaunt, borrowed from Anglo-French, noun derivative from present participle of creistre "to increase, grow," going back to Latin crēscere "to come into existence, increase in size or numbers," perhaps going back to Indo-European *kreh₁- "become stronger, increase," whence also Slavic *krějǫ, *krějati (whence Old Czech křáti, kříti "to recover, regain strength," Russian dialect krejátʼ "to convalesce, get well," Ukrainian krijáty "to regain strength," Bulgarian kréja "weaken, wither"—sense perhaps by loss of an earlier privative prefix)

Note: Latin crēscere and creāre (see create entry 1) have traditionally been linked to Indo-European *ḱerh₃- "feed, satisfy" (see ceres), but this has recently been questioned on both morphological and semantic grounds. Cf. Michiel de Vaan, Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the Other Italic Languages, Leiden, 2008; Oleg Trubačev, Ètimologičeskij slovarʼ slavjanskix jazykov: praslavjanskij leksičeskij fond, Vypusk 12 (Moscow, 1985), pp. 130-31; and in particular Eugen Hill, "Lateinisch crēscō 'wachsen' etymologisch: urslavisch *krějǫ 'genesen', litauisch šeriù 'füttern' oder armenisch serem 'erzeugen'?", International Journal of Diachronic Linguistics and Linguistic Reconstruction, vol. 3 (2006), pp. 187-209, where the issues are thoroughly discussed.

Adjective

borrowed from Latin crēscent-, crescēns, present participle of crēscere "to come into existence, increase in size or numbers" — more at crescent entry 1

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Last Updated

20 Oct 2018

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The first known use of crescent was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for crescent

crescent

noun

English Language Learners Definition of crescent

: the shape of the visible part of the moon when it is less than half full

: a shape that is curved, wide at its center, and pointed at its two ends like a crescent moon

See the full definition for crescent in the English Language Learners Dictionary

crescent

noun

cres·cent | \ˈkre-sᵊnt

Kids Definition of crescent

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : the shape of the visible part of the moon when it is less than half full

2 : something shaped like a crescent moon

crescent

adjective

Kids Definition of crescent (Entry 2 of 2)

: shaped like the crescent moon crescent rolls

crescent

noun

cres·cent | \ˈkres-ᵊnt

Medical Definition of crescent

1 : a crescent-shaped anatomical structure or section

2 : the gametocyte of the falciparum malaria parasite that is shaped like a crescent and constitutes a distinguishing character of malignant tertian malaria