Etymology dictionary

crack (v.) — credible (adj.)

crack (v.)

Middle English craken, from Old English cracian "make a sharp noise, give forth a loud, abrupt sound," from Proto-Germanic *krakojan (source also of Middle Dutch craken, Dutch kraken, German krachen); the whole group is probably ultimately imitative. Related: Cracked; cracking.

From c. 1300 as "burst, split open" (intransitive), also transitive, "cause to break into chinks." From 1785 as "break or crush into small pieces." Of the voice, "change tone suddenly," as that of a youth passing into manhood, c. 1600. The meaning "open and drink" (a bottle) is from 16c.

From early 14c. as "utter, say, speak, talk freely," especially "speak loudly or boastingly" (late 14c.). To crack a smile is from 1835, American English; to crack a joke is by 1732, probably from the "speak, say" sense. To crack the whip in the figurative sense is from 1886. To get cracking "go to work, start doing what is to be done" is by 1937.

crackdown (n.)

also crack-down, "legal or disciplinary severity," 1935, from the verbal phrase (1915), from crack (v.) + down (adv.); perhaps from crack (v.) in the sense of "to shoot at" (by 1913), or from the figurative notion in crack the whip.

cracker (n.3)

by 1766 as a Southern U.S. derogatory term for "one of an inferior class of white hill-dwellers in some of the southern United States" [Century Dictionary], probably an agent noun from crack (v.) in its sense "to boast" (as in not what it's cracked up to be).

Cracker as "a boaster, a braggart" is attested from mid-15c. ("Schakare, or craker, or booste maker: Jactator, philocompus," in Promptorium Parvulorum, an English-Latin dictionary); also see crack (n.). It also was a colloquial word for "a boast, a lie" (1620s). For sense development, compare Latin crepare "to rattle, crack, creak," with a secondary figurative sense of "boast of, prattle, make ado about." This also was the old explanation of the term:

For an alternative, DARE compares corn-cracker "Kentuckian," also "poor, low-class white farmer of Georgia and North Carolina" (1835, U.S. Midwest colloquial).

The word was used especially of Georgians by 1808, though often extended to residents of northern Florida. Another name in mid-19c. use was sand-hiller "poor white in Georgia or South Carolina."

cracker (n.1)

"one who or that which cracks or breaks," also "one who or that which cracks" (intransitive), by 1540s (implied in nut-cracker), agent noun from crack (v.).

As "firework that explodes with a sharp report" it is attested by 1580s. By 1832 (originally bonbon cracker) in reference to the party favor that makes an explosive pop when pulled open, often associated with Christmas. By 1844 as simply cracker. Probably so called for the sound they make.

cracker (n.2)

mid-15c., "hard wafer," literally "that which cracks or breaks," agent noun from crack (v.). The specific application to a thin, hard or crisp biscuit is by 1739, mostly in American English; the meaning "instrument for crushing or cracking" is from 1630s (compare nut-cracker).

Coal-cracker is from 1853 of persons, 1857 of machinery that breaks up mined coal. The cracker-barrel (1861) full of soda-crackers for sale was such a common feature in the popular perception of country stores that the phrase came to be used by 1905 as an adjective, "emblematic of down-home ways and views."

cracker-jack (n.)

also crackerjack, "something excellent," 1893, U.S. colloquialism, apparently a fanciful construction; the earliest use is in reference to racing horses. Compare cracker (n.1).

The caramel-coated popcorn-and-peanuts confection was said to have been introduced at the World's Columbian Exposition (1893). Supposedly a salesman gave it the name when he tasted some and said, "That's a cracker-jack," using the then-popular expression. The name was trademarked 1896. The "Prize in Every Box" was introduced 1912.

crackhead (n.)

"crack cocaine addict," slang, by 1986, from crack (n.) in the drug slang sense + head (n.). In earlier slang, crack-headed meant "crazy" (1796), from the literal sense of crack.

crackle (v.)

"make frequent or rapid cracking noises," mid-15c., crackelen, frequentative of cracken "to crack" (see crack (v.)). Related: Crackled; crackling. The noun, in the sense of "a crackling noise," is recorded from 1833.

crackpot (n.)

"mentally unbalanced person," 1898, probably from crack (v.) + pot (n.1) in a slang sense of "head." Compare crack-brain "crazy fellow" (late 16c.). Earlier it was used in a slang sense "a small-time big-shot" (1883), and by medical doctors in reference to a "metallic chinking sometimes heard when percussion is made over a cavity which communicates with a bronchus."

crack-up (n.)

1926, in reference to airplane crashes; 1936, "disintegration under stress, mental collapse" [Fitzgerald]; from the verbal phrase, from crack (v.) + up (adv.). The verbal phrase in the meaning "to break up laughing" is by 1967, transitive and intransitive. Its earliest sense was "to praise extravagantly" (as in not all it's cracked up to be).

Cracow

the older Englishing of Krakow, the city in Poland. The long-toed, pointed shoes or boots called crakows that were popular in England 15c. are attested from late 14c., so called because they were supposed to originate there. They also yielded a Middle English verb, crakouen "to provide (shoes or boots) with long, pointed toes" (early 15c.). Related: Cracovian.

cradle (n.)

"baby's bed," usually mounted on rockers or suspended for rocking or swinging, c. 1200, cradel, from Old English cradol "little bed, cot," from Proto-Germanic *kradulaz "basket" (source also of Old High German kratto, krezzo "basket," German Krätze "basket carried on the back").

Figurative sense of "the place where any person or thing is nurtured in the early stages of existence" is from 1580s. The word also was used from late 14c. in reference to various mechanical devices for holding or hoisting. As "frame of wood with long, curved teeth and a scythe blade for cutting grain and laying it in a straight swath," 1570s. As "rest on a telephone for the receiver when not in use" is from 1903.

The children's game of cat's-cradle is so called by 1768. Cradle-snatching "amorous pursuit of younger person" is from 1906.

cradle (v.)

c. 1400, "place or rock in or as in a cradle," from cradle (n.). From 1750 as "cut (grain) with a cradle." By 1944 as "hang up a telephone receiver." Related: Cradled; cradling.

craft (n.)

Old English cræft (West Saxon, Northumbrian), -creft (Kentish), "power, physical strength, might," from Proto-Germanic *krab-/*kraf- (source also of Old Frisian kreft, Old High German chraft, German Kraft "strength, skill;" Old Norse kraptr "strength, virtue"). The ultimate etymology is uncertain.

The sense expanded in Old English to include "skill, dexterity; art, science, talent" (via a notion of "mental power"), which led by late Old English to the meaning "trade, handicraft, employment requiring special skill or dexterity," also "something built or made." The word still was used for "might, power" in Middle English.

The meaning "small boat" is recorded by 1670s, probably from a phrase similar to vessels of small craft and referring either to the trade they did or the seamanship they required, or perhaps it preserves the word in its original sense of "power."

craft (v.)

Old English cræftan "to exercise a craft; to build," from the same source as craft (n.). Meaning "to make skilfully" is from early 15c., obsolete from 16c., but revived by 1954, largely in U.S. advertising and commercial senses. Related: Crafted; crafting.

crafty (adj.)

mid-12c., crafti, "skillful, clever, learned," from Old English cræftig "strong, powerful," later "skillful, ingenious," acquiring after c. 1200 a bad sense of "cunning, sly, skillful in scheming," the main modern sense (but through 15c. also "skillfully done or made; intelligent, learned; artful, scientific"); see craft (n.) + -y (2). Perhaps to retain a distinctly positive sense, Middle English also used craftious as "skillful, artistic" (mid-15c.). Related: Craftily; craftiness.

craftsman (n.)

c. 1200, craftmonnen (plural); late 14c., craftise men, "one skilled in a manual occupation," from genitive of craft (n.) + man (n.1). Written as one word from late 14c. Old English had cræftiga in this sense. Craftswoman is recorded from 1886; craftsperson from 1904; craftspeople from 1856.

craftsmanship (n.)

"skilled mechanical workmanship," 1650s, from craftsman + -ship. Craftmanship is attested from 1839.

crag (n.)

"a steep, rugged rock; rough, broken, projecting rock, especially a sea-cliff," early 14c. (as a place-name element from c. 1200), probably from a Celtic source akin to Old Irish crec "rock," and carrac "cliff," Welsh craig "rock, stone," Manx creg, Breton krag. A cragsman (1815) is "one dexterous in climbing cliffs overhanging the sea to get the eggs of sea-birds."

craggy (adj.)

mid-15c., "full of crags;" see crag + -y (2). From 1560s as "hard, rough, rugged." Related: Craggily; cragginess.

Craig

surname, 12c., a Scottish form of Cragg, literally "dweller by the steep rocks," from crag. As a masc. given name it began to be popular in U.S. 1930s, peaked 1960s.

craik (n.)

also crake, a name for the crow or rail, from Old Norse kraka "a crow," which is of imitative origin. Compare croak (v.).

cram (v.)

Old English crammian "press something into something else," from Proto-Germanic *kramm- (source also of Old High German krimman "to press, pinch," Old Norse kremja "to squeeze, pinch"), from extended form of PIE root *ger- "to gather."

It is attested from early 14c. as "fill with more than can be conveniently contained." The meaning "study intensely for an exam in a short time" (with a view to passing the test, not real learning) is attested by 1803, transitive as well as reflexive, originally British student slang. Related: Crammed; cramming; crammer.

cramp (n.1)

"involuntary and painful muscle contraction," late 14c., from Old French crampe (13c.), from a Frankish or other Germanic word (compare Old High German krapmhe "cramp, spasm," related to kramph "bent, crooked"), from Proto-Germanic *kramp-, forming many words for "bent, crooked," including, via French, crampon.

Writer's cramp is first attested 1842 as the name of a physical affliction of the hand, in discussions of translations of German medical papers (Stromeyer); also known as scrivener's palsy.

cramp (v.1)

"to contract, afflict with spasms" (of muscles), early 15c., from cramp (n.1). Related: Cramped; cramping.

cramp (v.2)

"to bend or twist," early 14c., from cramp (n.2) and Old French crampir "to bend, twist." Later "compress forcibly" (1550s), and, figuratively, "to restrict too straitly, confine or hinder the free action" (1620s). Meaning "to fasten, secure, or confine with a cramp" is from 1650s. To cramp (one's) style is attested by 1917. Related: Cramped; cramping.

cramp (n.2)

early 15c., "metal bar bent at both ends," from Middle Dutch crampe or Middle Low German krampe, from Proto-Germanic *kramp-. It is thus the same word as cramp (n.1). Metaphoric sense of "something that confines or hinders" is attested by 1719.

crampy (adj.)

"affected with cramps," late 14c., from cramp (n.1) + -y (2). Related: Crampiness.

crampon (n.)

c. 1300, "metal bar bent at the ends for fastening," from Old French crampoun "cramp, brace, staple" (13c.), from Germanic (see cramp (n.1); also compare cramp (n.2)). As "apparatus used in the raising of heavy weights," mid-15c. By 1789 as "plate set with spikes, fastened to the foot to assist in walking on ice or climbing rock."

cranberry (n.)

name of the fruit of several species of a swamp-growing shrub, 1640s, apparently an American English adaptation of Low German kraanbere, from kraan "crane" (see crane (n.)) + Middle Low German bere "berry" (see berry). The reason for the name is not known; perhaps they were so called from fancied resemblance between the plants' stamens and the beaks of cranes.

German and Dutch settlers in the New World apparently recognized the similarity between the European berries (Vaccinium oxycoccos) and the larger North American variety (V. macrocarpum) and transferred the name. In England, they were marshwort or fenberries, but according to OED the North American berries, and the name, were imported by 1680s and the name was applied to the native species in 18c. The native Algonquian name for the plant is represented by West Abenaki popokwa.

crane (v.)

1799, of the neck, "to stretch or be stretched out," from crane (n.). As "to stretch or bend the neck," 1849. Earliest sense (1560s) is "to hoist with a crane." Related: Craned; craning.

crane (n.)

large grallatorial bird with very long legs, beak, and neck, Old English cran, common Germanic (cognates: Old Saxon krano, Old High German krano, German Kranich, and, with unexplained change of consonant, Old Norse trani, Danish trane), from PIE *gere-no-, suffixed form of root *gere- (2) "to cry hoarsely," also the name of the crane (cognates: Greek geranos, Latin grus, Welsh garan, Lithuanian garnys "heron, stork"). Thus the name is perhaps an echo of its cry in ancient ears.

Misapplied to herons and storks. The gray European crane was "formerly abundant in marshy places in Great Britain, and prized as food" [OED], but was extinct there through much of 20c.

Use for "machine with a long arm for moving weights" is attested from late 13c. (a sense also in equivalent words in German, French, and Greek). The constellation was one of the 11 added to Ptolemy's list in the 1610s by Flemish cartographer Petrus Plancius after Europeans began to explore the Southern Hemisphere.

cranial (adj.)

"pertaining to the skull," 1779, from Modern Latin cranium, from Greek kranion "skull" (see cranium) + -al (1).

cranio-

word-forming element meaning "of the skull," from Latinized combining form of Greek kranion "skull" (see cranium).

craniography (n.)

"a description of skulls," 1855; see cranio- + -graphy. Related: Craniographer; craniographic.

craniometry (n.)

"the measuring of skulls," 1844; see cranio- + -metry. Related: Craniometric; craniometer.

craniotomy (n.)

a cutting open of the skull (especially of a fetal head when it obstructs delivery), 1817, from cranio- "of the skull" + -tomy "a cutting."

cranium (n.)

the skull of a human being," "early 15c., craneum, from Medieval Latin cranium "skull," from Greek kranion "skull, upper part of the head," related to kara (poetic kras) "head," from PIE root *ker- (1) "horn; head." Strictly, the "brain-box," the bony case which encloses the brain. Englished by Sir Thomas Browne as crany.

crank (n.)

"bent or vertical handle for turning a revolving axis," Old English *cranc, implied in crancstæf "a weaver's instrument," crencestre "female weaver, spinster," which is related to crincan "to bend, yield," from Proto-Germanic *krank- "bend, curl up" (see cringe).

English retains the literal sense of the ancient word ("something bent or crooked"), while in other Germanic languages it tends to have only a figurative sense (German and Dutch krank "sick," formerly "weak, small"). The Continental definition entered into English crank via slang counterfeit crank "one who shams sickness to get charity" (1560s). OED notes that "the 16th c. vagabonds' cant contains words taken directly from Continental languages." It apparently lingered in the north (the 1825 supplement to Jamieson's Scottish dictionary has crank "infirm, weak, etc.") and might have influenced the development of the English word.

Meaning "twist or turn of speech, grotesquery in words" is from 1590s; that of "absurd or unreasonable act" (perhaps caused by "twisted judgment") is from 1848. The sense of "eccentric person," especially one who is irrationally fixated, is first recorded 1833; this sometimes is said to be from the crank of a barrel organ, which makes it play the same tune over and over; but more likely it is a back-formation from cranky (q.v.) and thus from the notion of one having a mental "twist."

There also was a crank (adj.) in Middle English meaning "lively, brisk, merry," but it is of uncertain origin and connection. Cranky for "merry, lively" lingered into 19c. in northern England dialects and American English. Meaning "methamphetamine" attested by 1989, from the verb.

crank (v.)

1590s, "to zig-zag, run in a winding course," from crank (n.) "a bend, a crook," hence "a winding," for which see crank (n.). From 1793 as "to bend into a crank shape;" 1834 as "attach a crank to;" meaning "to turn a crank" is first attested 1908, with reference to automobile engines. Related: Cranked; cranking.

cranky (adj.)

"cross-tempered, irritable," 1807, from crank (n.) + -y (2). The evolution would be from earlier senses of crank, such as "a twist or fanciful turn of speech" (1590s); "inaccessible hole or crevice" (1560s). Grose's 1787 "Provincial Glossary" has "Cranky. Ailing sickly from the dutch crank, sick," and identifies it as a Northern word (this is probably from the vagabond slang sense, which ultimately is from German krank "sick"). Jamieson's Scottish dictionary (1825) has crank in a secondary sense of "hard, difficult," as in crank word, "a word hard to be understood;" crank job, "a work attended with difficulty, or requiring ingenuity in the execution." Related: Crankily; crankiness.

crankshaft (n.)

also crank-shaft, "shaft turned by a crank," 1803, from crank (v.) + shaft (n.). The basic form of the mechanism appears to date from Roman times.

crankum (n.)

"a 'twist,' an eccentricity," 1822, mock-Latin formation from crank (n.) in the secondary sense.

cranny (n.)

"small, narrow opening, crevice," mid-15c., possibly from a diminutive of Old French cran, cren "a notch, a hole, a cut, fissure" (14c.), from crener "to notch, split," from Medieval Latin crenare, which is possibly from Latin cernere "to separate, sift" (from PIE root *krei- "to sieve"). Compare Old French crene "notched." But OED casts doubt on this derivation. Related: Crannied (mid-15c.).

crantara (n.)

"The fiery cross which in old times formed the rallying symbol in the Highlands of Scotland in any sudden emergency," Gaelic cranntara, cranntaraidh, also (by influence of crois "cross") croistara, croistaraidh, literally "the beam or cross of reproach," from crann "a beam, a shaft" (see crane (n.)) + tair "reproach, disgrace." "[S]o called because neglect of the symbol implied infamy" [Century Dictionary].

crap (v.)

"to defecate," 1846, from a cluster of older nouns, now dialectal or obsolete, applied to things cast off or discarded (such as "weeds growing among corn" (early 15c.), "residue from renderings" (late 15c.), underworld slang for "money" (18c.), and in Shropshire, "dregs of beer or ale"), all probably from Middle English crappe "grain that was trodden underfoot in a barn, chaff" (mid-15c.), from French crape "siftings," from Old French crappe, from Medieval Latin crappa, crapinum "chaff." Related: Crapped; crapping.

For connection of the idea of defecation with that of shedding or casting off from the body, compare shit (v.). Despite the etymological legend, the word is not from the name of Thomas Crapper (1837-1910) who was, however, a busy plumber and may have had some minor role in the development of modern toilets. The name Crapper is a northern form of Cropper (attested from 1221), an occupational surname, obviously, but the exact reference is unclear. Crap (v.) as a variant of crop (v.) was noted early 19c, as a peculiarity of speech in Scotland and what was then the U.S. Southwest (Arkansas, etc.).

craps (n.)

game of chance played with dice, 1843, American English, unrelated to the term for excrement, instead it is from Louisiana French craps "the game of hazard," from an 18c. continental French corruption of English crabs, which was 18c. slang for "a throw of two or three" (the lowest throw), which perhaps is from crab (n.2), the sense in crab apple. The 1843 citation (in an anti-gambling publication, "An Exposure of the Arts and Miseries of Gambling") calls it "a game lately introduced into New Orleans." To shoot craps is by 1885.

crap (n.)

1898, "excrement;" see crap (v.). Sense of "rubbish, nonsense" also is attested by 1898.

crape (n.)

"thin stuff made of silk finely crinkled," 1630s, Englished spelling of crepe (q.v.), which was itself borrowed into English late 18c., at first in a specialized, commercial sense. Black crape, from its somber and rough, unglossed appearance, was considered especially appropriate for mourning dress. Hence U.S. slang crape-hanger "pessimistic person, killjoy" (1909) from the notion of crape hung up as a sign of mourning.

crapper (n.)

"a toilet, an outhouse," 1932, agent noun from crap (v.).

crappy (adj.)

"worthless, inferior, disgusting," 1846, from crap (n.) + -y (2). Related: Crappily; crappiness.

crappie (n.)

type of freshwater fish, Mississippi sunfish, 1856, American English, of unknown origin; perhaps from Canadian French dialectal crappé.

crapulous (adj.)

1530s, "drunken, characterized by drunkenness;" 1755, "sick from too much drinking," with -ous + Latin crapula, from or related to Greek kraipalē "hangover, drunken headache, nausea from debauching," which is of uncertain origin. The Romans used it for drunkenness itself. English has used it in both senses. Related: Crapulously; crapulousness.

crapulent (adj.)

"drunken, intemperate in drinking," 1650s, from Latin crapulentus "very drunk," from crapula "excessive drinking" (see crapulous). Related: Crapulence.

crash (v.)

late 14c., crasschen "break in pieces; make a loud, clattering sound;" probably imitative. Meaning "break into a party, etc." is 1922. Slang meaning "to sleep" dates from 1943; especially from 1965. Of destructive aircraft landings, 1910 (intransitive), 1915 (transitive). Computing sense "functional failure of a program" is from 1973. Related: Crashed; crashing. Crashing (adj.) as "overwhelming" (typically in crashing bore) is by 1930.

crash (n.)

1570s, "loud, harsh, complex sound, as of heavy things falling or breaking," from crash (v.). From 1718 as "a falling down or to pieces." Sense of "financial collapse" is from 1817; that of "collision" is from 1910; references to falling of airplanes are from World War I. Crash-landing attested by 1928. Crash-program in reference to rapid, intense instruction is by 1947; crash-course in the same sense is by 1958.

crass (adj.)

1540s, "thick, coarse, gross, not thin or fine," from French crasse (16c.), from Latin crassus "solid, thick, fat; dense," which is of unknown origin.

The literal sense always has been rare in English. The meaning in reference to personal qualities, etc., "grossly stupid, obtuse" is recorded from 1650s, from French. Middle English had cras (adj.) "slow, sluggish, tardy" (mid-15c.), also crassitude "thickness." Related: Crassly; crassness.

-crat

see -cracy.

crate (n.)

1680s, "large box of wood, slats, etc., used for packing and transporting," earlier "hurdle, grillwork" (late 14c.), from Latin cratis "wickerwork, lattice, kitchen-rack," or from Dutch krat "basket;" both perhaps from a common PIE root *kert- "to turn, entwine" (see hurdle (n.)).

crate (v.)

"to pack or put in a crate," 1871, from crate (n.). Related: Crated; crating.

crater (n.)

1610s, "bowl-shaped mouth of a volcano," from a specialized use of Latin crater, from Greek krater "large bowl from which red wine mixed with water was served to guests," from kera- "to mix," from PIE root *kere- "to mix, confuse; cook" (see rare (adj.2)).

The extension to volcanoes began in Latin. The literal classical sense is attested in English from 1730. Applied to asteroid scars on the moon since 1831 (they originally were thought to be volcanic) and later extended to other planets. Meaning "cavity formed by the explosion of a military mine" is from 1839. The Battle of the Crater in the U.S. Civil War was July 30, 1864.

As a verb, "having a crater or craters," by 1848 in poetry, 1872 in scientific writing. Related: Cratered; cratering.

cravat (n.)

"type of neck-cloth worn usually by men," 1650s, from French cravate (17c.), from Cravate, literally "Croatian," from German Krabate, from Serbo-Croatian Hrvat "a Croat" (see Croat). Cravats came into fashion 1650s in imitation of linen scarves worn by the Croats or Crabats, 17th-century light cavalry forces who fought on the side of the Catholic League in the Thirty Years' War. The name in this context was not an ethnic label as much as a generic designation for light cavalry from the Hapsburg Military Frontier, which included Croats, Hungarians, Serbs, Wallachians, Poles, Cossacks and Tatars.

cravings (n.)

"vehement or urgent desires," by 1711, from craving, verbal noun from crave.

crave (v.)

Old English crafian "ask, implore, demand by right," from North Germanic *krabojan (source also of Old Norse krefja "to demand," Danish kræve, Swedish kräva); perhaps related to craft (n.) in its base sense of "power." Current sense "to long for, eagerly desire" is c. 1400, probably through intermediate meaning "to ask very earnestly" (c. 1300). Related: Craved; craving.

craven (adj.)

c. 1200, cravant "defeated, vanquished, overcome, conquered," apparently adapted from Old French cravent "defeated, beaten," past participle of cravanter "to strike down, to fall down," from Latin crepare "to crack, creak" (see raven). The sense, apparently affected by crave, shifted from "defeated" to "cowardly" (c. 1400) perhaps via intermediary sense of "confess oneself defeated." As a noun, "an acknowledged coward," 1580s. Related: Cravenly; cravenness.

craw (n.)

early 13c., craue "neck, throat," Old English *cræg "throat," from Proto-Germanic *krag- "throat" (source also of Middle Dutch craghe "neck, throat," Old High German chrago, German Kragen "collar, neck"), which is of obscure origin. From late 14c. as "crop or first stomach of a bird."

crawfish (n.)

common name of small, long-tailed freshwater crustaceans, 1620s, a variant of crayfish (q.v.) common in the U.S., but not originally an American form. Also in 19c. American English as a verb, "to back out," in reference to the creature's movements.

crawl (v.)

c. 1200, creulen, "to move slowly by drawing the body across the ground," from a Scandinavian source, perhaps Old Norse krafla "to claw (one's way)," or Danish kravle, from the same root as crab (n.1). If there was an Old English *craflian, it has not been recorded.

Meaning "advance slowly" is from mid-15c. Sense of "have a sensation as of something crawling on the flesh" is from c. 1300. Related: Crawled; crawler; crawling.

crawl (n.)

1818, "act of crawling," from crawl (v.). In the swimming sense from 1903; the stroke was developed by Frederick Cavill, well-known English swimmer who emigrated to Australia and modified the standard stroke of the day after observing South Seas islanders. So called because the swimmer's motion in the water resembles crawling. Meaning "slow progress from one drinking place to another" is by 1883.

crayfish (n.)

"small, freshwater lobster," early 14c., crevis, from Old French crevice, escrevice "crayfish" (13c., Modern French écrevisse), probably from Frankish *krebitja or a similar Germanic word that is a diminutive form of the root of crab (n.1); compare Old High German krebiz "crab, shellfish," German Krebs. Modern spelling is established from 16c., a folk-etymology alteration under influence of fish (n.).

crayon (n.)

"pencil-shaped piece of colored clay, chalk, etc., used for drawing on paper," 1640s, from French crayon "pencil" (16c.), originally "chalk pencil," from craie "chalk," from Latin creta "chalk, pipe-clay," which is of unknown origin. Not now considered to mean "Cretan earth," as once was believed. It also formerly was regarded as possibly from (terra) creta "sifted (earth)," but de Vaan finds this "semantically uncompelling, since 'clay' is not 'sifted earth', but at most 'fine sand'," and he finds creta more likely to be a cognate with, or a borrowing from, Celtic words for "mud, clay" (Old Irish cre, Welsh pridd, Breton pri).

As a verb, "to draw with a crayon," 1660s.

craze (v.)

late 14c., crasen, craisen "to shatter, crush, break to pieces," probably a Germanic word and perhaps ultimately from a Scandinavian source (such as Old Norse *krasa "shatter"), but it seems to have entered English via Old French crasir (compare Modern French écraser). Original sense preserved in crazy quilt (1886) pattern and in reference to cracking in pottery glazing (1815).

Mental sense of "derange the intellect of, make insane" (late 15c.) perhaps comes via the transferred sense of "be diseased or deformed" (mid-15c.), or it might be an image of cracked or broken things. The intransitive sense of "become insane" is by 1818. Related: Crazed; crazing.

craze (n.)

late 15c., "break down in health," from craze (v.) in its Middle English sense of "to shatter, break to pieces." In 16c. also "a flaw, a defect, an infirmity." Perhaps via a notion of "mental breakdown," by 1813 the sense was extended to "mania, irrational fancy, fad," or, as The Century Dictionary defines it, "An unreasoning or capricious liking or affectation of liking, more or less sudden and temporary, and usually shared by a number of persons, especially in society, for something particular, uncommon, peculiar, or curious ..." [1897].

crazy (adj.)

1570s, "diseased, sickly" (a sense now obsolete); 1580s, "broken, impaired, full of cracks or flaws," from craze + -y (2). Meaning "deranged, demented, of unsound mind or behaving as so" is from 1610s. Jazz slang sense "cool, exciting" is attested by 1927. Related: Crazily; craziness.

To drive (someone) crazy is attested by 1873. To do something like crazy "with manic vigor or frequency" is by 1905. Phrase crazy like a fox has origins by 1935. Crazy Horse, name of the Teton Lakhota (Siouan) war leader (d. 1877), translates thašuka witko, literally "his horse is crazy." Crazy-quilt (1886) preserves the original "break to pieces" sense of craze (v.). Crazy bone as an alternative to funny bone is recorded by 1853.

craziness (n.)

c. 1600, "infirmity, state of being broken down," from crazy + -ness. Oldest sense is now obsolete. The meaning "state of being flawed or damaged" is from 1660s; that of "mental unsoundness" is from 1755.

creak (v.)

early 14c., creken, "utter a harsh cry," of imitative origin. Compare Old English cræccettan "to croak." Used from 1580s of the sound made by rusty gate hinges, wooden floorboards, and aged bones. Related: Creaked; creaking. As a noun, from c. 1600, "a sharp, harsh, grating sound."

creaky (adj.)

"creaking, apt to creak," 1834, from creak + -y (2). Related: Creakily; creakiness.

cream (v.)

mid-15c., "to foam, to froth," from cream (n.). From 1610s in figurative sense of "remove the best part of." Meaning "to beat, thrash, wreck" is 1929, U.S. slang; the exact sense connection is unclear. There was a slang cream (v.) in the 1920s that meant "cheat, deceive, especially by guile." Related: Creamed; creaming.

cream (n.)

early 14c., creyme, "the rich and buttery part of milk," from Old French cresme, craime, creme "chrism, holy oil" (13c., Modern French crème). This word is a blend of Late Latin chrisma "ointment" (from Greek khrisma "unguent;" from PIE root *ghrei- "to rub") and Late Latin cramum "cream," which is of uncertain origin, perhaps from Gaulish. The French word replaced Old English ream; it was re-borrowed 19c. as creme.

From early 15c. as "dish or confection made from or resembling cream." The figurative sense of "most excellent element or part" is from 1580s. It is attested from 1660s as "any part that separates from the rest and rises to the surface" and also in its application to substances resembling cream.

Cream-cheese is from 1580s. Cream-soda is attested by 1854. Cream-colored (also cream-coloured) "having the pale, yellowish-white color of cream," is from 1707. Cold cream, a cosmetic, is by 1709, translating Latin ceratum refrigerans (see cold (adj.)).

creamer (n.)

1858, "dish for skimming cream from milk," agent noun from cream (v.). As "a pitcher or small jug for cream at the table," by 1877.

creamery (n.)

1808, "establishment where milk is made into butter and cheese," from French crémerie, from crème (see cream (n.)).

creamy (adj.)

mid-15c., "like cream in consistence or appearance;" late 15c., "containing cream;" from cream (n.) + -y (2). Related: Creamily; creaminess.

creampuff (n.)

also cream-puff, by 1859 as a kind of light confection, from cream (n.) + puff (n.). In figurative sense of "ineffectual person, weakling, sissy," it is recorded by 1935.

As a salesman's word, "something that is a tremendous bargain," it is from 1940s.

Creamsicle (n.)

small slab of ice cream surrounded by a layer of fruit-flavored water ice and mounted on a stick, 1932, a trademark name, merger of ice-cream and Popsicle.

crease (n.)

1660s, "long or thin mark made by doubling or folding," altered from creaste "a ridge," perhaps a variant of crest (n.), via meaning "a fold in a length of cloth" (mid-15c.) which produces a "crest." In sports, first in cricket (1779), where originally it was cut into the ground. As a verb, "to make creases in," from 1580s. Cut crease as a type of eyeshadow application is by 2009. Related: Creased; creasing.

create (v.)

"to bring into being," early 15c., from Latin creatus, past participle of creare "to make, bring forth, produce, procreate, beget, cause," related to Ceres and to crescere "arise, be born, increase, grow," from PIE root *ker- (2) "to grow." De Vaan writes that the original meaning of creare "was 'to make grow', which can still be found in older texts ...." Related: Created; creating.

creatine (n.)

organic substance obtained from muscular tissue, by 1843, from French creatine, from Greek kreas "flesh, meat" (from PIE root *kreue- "raw flesh") + chemical suffix -ine (2). Discovered 1832 by French physicist Michel-Eugène Chevreul (1786-1889) and named by him.

creatinine (n.)

"alkaline substance obtained by the action of acids on creatine," by 1847, from creatine + chemical suffix -ine (2).

creation (n.)

late 14c., creacioun, "action of creating or causing to exist," also "a created thing, that which is created," from Old French creacion "creation, a coming into being" (14c., Modern French création), from Latin creationem (nominative creatio) "a creating, a producing," in classical use "an electing, appointment, choice," noun of action from past-participle stem of creare "to make, bring forth, produce, beget," from PIE root *ker- (2) "to grow."

Meaning "that which God has created, the universe, the world and all in it" is from 1610s. The native word in the Biblical sense was Old English frum-sceaft. Of fashion costumes, desserts, etc., "that which has been produced by human art or skill," by 1870s, from French.

creationism (n.)

1847, originally a Christian theological position that God immediately created out of nothing a soul for each person born; from creation + -ism.

As "science teaching based on a fundamentalist interpretation of the Book of Genesis, the scientific theory attributing the origin of matter and life to immediate acts of God," opposed to evolutionism, it is attested from 1880. Century Dictionary (1897) defines creationism in this sense as "The doctrine that matter and all things were created, substantially as they now exist, by the fiat of an omnipotent Creator, and not gradually evolved or developed."

Creation science is attested by 1970 as an alternative name for a theory of science not inconsistent with Christian fundamentalism. Creationist (n.) in an "anti-Darwin" sense is attested by 1859 in a letter of Darwin's, and it is said to be used in Darwin's unpublished writings as far back as 1842.

creative (adj.)

1670s, "having the quality or function of creating," from create + -ive. Of literature and art, "imaginative," from 1816, in Wordsworth. Creative writing is attested by 1848. Related: Creatively.

creativity (n.)

"character or faculty of being creative," 1859, from creative + -ity. An earlier word was creativeness (1800).

creator (n.)

c. 1300, "the Supreme Being, God considered as the creator of the universe" (also "the communion elements; a crucifix"), from Anglo-French creatour, Old French creator (12c., academic and liturgical, alongside popular creere, Modern French créateur), from Latin creator "creator, author, founder," from creatus (see create). Translated in Old English as scieppend (from verb scieppan; see shape (v.)). Not generally capitalized until KJV. General meaning "one who creates" in any sense is from 1570s. Fem. form creatress is from 1580s (Spenser); creatrix from 1590s.

creature (n.)

c. 1300, "anything created," hence "a thing" in general, animate or not, but most commonly "a living being," from Old French creature "created being; all creation" (Modern French créature), from Late Latin creatura "a thing created; the creation; a creature," from creatus, past participle of Latin creare "to make, bring forth, produce, beget," from PIE root *ker- (2) "to grow."

Used of humans in limited cases, in contempt, commiseration, endearment. Meaning "person who owes his rise and fortune to another" is from 1580s. Meaning "anything that ministers to man's comforts" (1610s) is after I Timothy iv.4 ("Every creature of God is good") and led to the jocular use of creature for "whiskey, intoxicating drink" (1630s). Creature-comforts "material comforts" (food, clothing) is from 1650s. Related: Creatural; creaturely.

creche (n.)

"Christmas manger scene," 1792, from French crèche, from Old French cresche, creche "crib, manger, stall" (13c.), ultimately from Frankish or some other Germanic source; compare Old High German kripja, Old English cribb (see crib (n.)). Also "a public nursery for infants where they are cared for while their mothers are at work" (1854).

A modern reborrowing of a word that had been in Middle English as cracche, crecche, criche "a manger, a place for feeding domestic animals" (mid-13c.), from Old French creche. Wycliffe (1382) has cracche (Luke ii.7) where Tyndale (1526) uses manger.

cred (n.)

slang shortening, I suppose, of credit, credibility or credentials; by 1992.

credence (n.)

"belief, trust in facts derived from other than personal knowledge; that which gives a claim to belief," mid-14c., from Medieval Latin credentia "belief," from Latin credentum (nominative credens), past participle of credere "believe, trust" (see credo).

credential (n.)

"that which entitles to credit," 1756, probably a back-formation from credentials, from Medieval Latin credentialis, from credentia "belief," from Latin credere "to believe, trust" (see credo). Rare in the singular form. Earlier in English as an adjective, "confirming, corroborating" (late 15c.). As a verb, "provide with credentials," by 1828 (implied in credentialed).

credentials (n.)

"letters entitling the bearer to certain credit or confidence," 1670s, from Medieval Latin credentialis, from credentia "belief," from Latin credere "to believe, trust" (see credo). Probably immediately as a shortening of letters credential (1520s, with French word order); earlier was letter of credence (mid-14c.). Especially in reference to the letters of authorization given by a government to an ambassador.

credenza (n.)

"an Italian sideboard," 1883, from Italian credenza, literally "belief, credit," from Medieval Latin credentia (see credence).

The same evolution that produced this sense in Italian also worked on the English word credence, which in Middle English also meant "act or process of testing the nature or character of food before serving it as a precaution against poison," a former practice in some royal or noble households. Because of that, it also meant "a side-table or side-board on which the food was placed to be tasted before serving" (mid-15c.); hence, in later use, "a cupboard or cabinet for the display of plate, etc." (1560s). These senses fell away in English, and the modern furniture piece, which begins to be mentioned in domestic interiors from c. 1920, took its name from Italian, perhaps as a more elegant word than homely sideboard.

credible (adj.)

"believable, worthy of belief, capable of being believed, involving no impossibility; of known or obvious veracity or competence," late 14c., from Latin credibilis "worthy to be believed," from credere "to believe" (see credo). Related: Credibly.