cropper

noun (1)

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crop·per | \ ˈkrä-pər

Definition of cropper

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : one that crops

2 : one that raises crops specifically : sharecropper

cropper

noun (2)

Definition of cropper (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a severe fall

2 : a sudden or violent failure or collapse

Synonyms & Antonyms Phrases Containing cropper Learn More About cropper

History and Etymology for cropper

Noun (1)

Middle English, "a person who reaps crops or trims trees," from croppen "to crop entry 2" + -er -er entry 2

Noun (2)

of uncertain origin

Note: The Oxford English Dictionary, first edition, suggests some relationship with the phrase neck and crop "completely, entirely," usually in reference to a fall or to expulsion from a place. Joseph Wright's English Dialect Dictionary records crop in the sense "neck, throat" from a few northern and western locations; presumably this is a sense of crop entry 1. In this event, neck and crop would be a joining of two synonyms. Whatever value these hints have, a full etymology is lacking.