Etymology dictionary

credibility (n.) — critic (n.)

credibility (n.)

"quality of being credible, capacity or condition of being believed, just claim to credit," 1590s, from Medieval Latin credibilitas, from Latin credibilis (see credible). Credibility gap is 1966, American English, in reference to official statements about the Vietnam War.

credit (v.)

1540s, "to believe, be sure of the truth of," from credit (n.). In a looser sense, "to attribute, give as the cause of," 1850. Meaning "to enter upon the credit side of an account" is from 1680s. Related: Credited; crediting.

credit (n.)

1540s, "belief, faith," from French crédit (15c.) "belief, trust," from Italian credito, from Latin creditum "a loan, thing entrusted to another," neuter past participle of credere "to trust, entrust, believe" (see credo).

The commercial sense of "confidence in the ability and intention of a purchaser or borrower to make payment at some future time" was in English by 1570s (creditor is mid-15c.); hence "sum placed at a person's disposal" by a bank, etc., 1660s. From 1580s as "one who or that which brings honor or reputation to." Meaning "honor, acknowledgment of merit," is from c. 1600.

Academic sense of "point awarded for completing a course of study" is by 1904 (short for hour of credit (1892), given for satisfactory completion of one lecture, etc., a week, usually one hour in length). Movie/broadcasting sense "acknowledgement and naming of the individual contributors" (in plural, credits) is by 1914.

Credit rating is from 1958; credit union "cooperative banking society" is 1881, American English.

creditable (adj.)

1520s, "worthy of belief," from credit (v.) + -able. Meaning "reputable, bringing credit or honor" is from 1650s. Related: Creditably; creditability; creditableness.

credit-card (n.)

1952 in the modern sense; see credit (n.) + card (n.1). The phrase was used late 19c. to mean "traveler's check."

creditor (n.)

mid-15c., "one to whom any return is due or payable, one to whom money is owed," from Anglo-French creditour, Old French creditor (early 14c.), from Latin creditor "truster; lender," from creditus, past participle of credere "to believe" (see credo).

credo (n.)

early 13c., "the Creed in the Church service," from Latin credo "I believe," the first word of the Apostles' and Nicene creeds, first person singular present indicative of credere "to believe," from PIE compound *kerd-dhe- "to believe," literally "to put one's heart" (source also of Old Irish cretim, Irish creidim, Welsh credu "I believe," Sanskrit śrad-dhā- "faith, confidence, devotion"), from PIE root *kerd- "heart." The nativized form is creed. General sense of "formula or statement of belief" is from 1580s.

credulous (adj.)

"disposed to believe, uncritical with regard to beliefs," 1570s, from Latin credulus "that easily believes, trustful," from credere "to believe" (see credo). Related: Credulously; credulousness.

credulity (n.)

early 15c., "faith, belief," from Old French credulité (12c.), from Latin credulitatem (nominative credulitas) "easiness of belief, rash confidence," noun of quality from credulus "that easily believes, trustful," from credere "to believe" (see credo). Meaning "a weak or ignorant disregard of the importance of evidence, a disposition too ready to believe," especially absurd or impossible things, is from 1540s.

Cree

Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of Canada, 1744, from phonetic rendering of Canadian French Cris, short for Christinaux, from Ojibwa (Algonquian) *kiristino, originally referring to a group in the Hudson Bay region.

creed (n.)

Old English creda "article or statement of Christian belief, confession of faith," from Latin credo "I believe" (see credo). Broadening 17c. to mean "a statement of belief on any subject." Meaning "what is believed, accepted doctrine" is from 1610s. Related: Creedal.

Creek

major native tribe or confederation, originally of what is now the southeastern U.S., 1725, named for creek, the geographical feature, and abbreviated from Ochese Creek Indians, from the place in Georgia (now Ocmulgee River) where the English first encountered them. The native name is Muskogee, a word of uncertain origin.

creek (n.)

mid-15c., creke "narrow inlet in a coastline," altered from kryk (early 13c.; in place names from 12c.), probably from Old Norse kriki "corner, nook," perhaps influenced by Anglo-French crique, itself from a Scandinavian source via Norman. Perhaps ultimately related to crook and with an original notion of "full of bends and turns" (compare dialectal Swedish krik "corner, bend; creek, cove").

Extended to "inlet or short arm of a river" by 1570s, which probably led to use for "small stream, brook" in American English (1620s). In U.S. commonly pronounced and formerly sometimes spelled crick. Also used there and in Canada, Australia, New Zealand for "branch of a main river," possibly from explorers moving up main rivers and seeing and noting mouths of tributaries without knowing they often were extensive rivers of their own.

Slang phrase up the creek "in trouble" (often especially "pregnant") is attested by 1941, perhaps originally armed forces slang for "lost while on patrol," or perhaps a cleaned-up version of the older up shit creek in the same sense.

creel (n.)

early 14c., "a basket or pannier for carrying on the back," originally Scottish and northern England, of unknown origin. Perhaps from Old French greil, grail "a grill," from Latin craticula "small griddle" (see grill (n.)).

The sense of "a framework" for any purpose is attested by 1788, but it is not certain these senses are the same word. Specifically "framework for holding bobbins or spools in a spinning machine" is by 1835.

creep (v.)

Old English creopan "to move the body near or along the ground as a reptile or insect does" (class II strong verb; past tense creap, past participle cropen), from Proto-Germanic *kreupanan (source also of Old Frisian kriapa, Middle Dutch crupen, Old Norse krjupa "to creep"), perhaps from a PIE root *g(e)r- "crooked" [Watkins].

From c. 1300 as "move secretly or to evade detection," also "move slowly, feebly, or timorously." In reference to imperceptible movements of things (soil, railway rails, etc.) from 1870s. Related: Crept; creeping.

creep (n.)

1818, "a creeping motion, act of creeping," from creep (v.). Meaning "imperceptible motion" is by 1813 in reference to coal mines, 1889 in geology.

Meaning "despicable person" is by 1886, American English slang, perhaps from earlier sense of "a sneak" (1876). Creeper "a gilded rascal" is recorded from c. 1600, and the word also was used of certain classes of thieves, especially those who robbed customers in brothels. The creeps "a feeling of dread or revulsion" is first attested 1849, in Dickens.

Mission creep (1994) is American English, originally military, "unconscious expansion of troops' role in a foreign operation," and used especially in reference to the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu.

creeping (adj.)

late 14c., in reference to disease, "slowly spreading," present-participle adjective from creep (v.). Also from late 14c. in reference to plants, "growing along the surface."

creepage (n.)

"rate or amount that something creeps," 1881, from creep (v.) + -age.

creeper (n.)

Old English creopera "one who creeps," creopere "a cripple," agent nouns from creep (v.). Also see creep (n.). Meaning "lice" is from 1570s; of certain birds which scramble in trees and bushes from 1660s; of certain plants which grow upon the surface, sending out rootlets from the stem, from 1620s.

creepy (adj.)

1794, "characterized by creeping," from creep + -y (2). Meaning "having a creeping feeling in the flesh" is from 1831; that of producing such a feeling, the main modern sense, is from 1858. Creepy-crawly (n.) "a crawling insect or animal" is from 1858.

cremate (v.)

"to burn, destroy by heat" (especially a dead body, as an alternative to burial), 1851, a back-formation from cremation. Related: Cremated; cremating.

cremation (n.)

"act or custom of burning of the dead," 1620s, from Latin cremationem (nominative crematio), noun of action from past-participle stem of cremare "to burn, consume by fire" (also used of the dead), from PIE *krem-, extended form of root *ker- (3) "heat, fire."

crematory (n.)

1874, the nativized form of crematorium. From 1848 as an adjective, "connected with or employed in cremation" originally of ancient urns).

crematorium (n.)

"an establishment for burning the bodies of the dead," 1880, from Latin cremator-, stem of cremare "to burn" (see cremation) + -orium (see -ory). Classical plural is crematoria.

creme (n.)

French crème (see cream (n.)), used in various names of syrupy liqueurs in English from 1821, in phrases in English cookery books from 1845. For crème brûlée, see brulee. Used of cosmetic creams with French names from 1822, of English cosmetic names from 1857.

creme de la creme (n.)

"elite, finest flower of society," 1848, from French crème de la crème, literally "the cream of the cream" (see cream (n.)).

Cremona

town in Lombardy, from Cenomani, name of a Gaulish people who lived there in Roman times, or perhaps from a Celtic word meaning "garlic" (compare Old Irish crim, Welsh craf). From 1762 as "violin made at Cremona by the Amati family (late 16c.-early 17c.) or Stradivarius (early 18c.)." Related: Cremonese.

crenel (n.)

also crenelle, "open space on an embattlement," mid-13c., carnel, kernel, from Old French crenel "a notch; embrasure" (12c., Modern French créneau), apparently a diminutive of cren "a notch," from Latin crena (see cranny).

crenelate (v.)

"to furnish with a battlement, render defensible," 1823, from crenel + -ate (2). Sometimes also crenellate; the double -l- seems to be from a presumed Latin *crenella as a diminutive of crena. Related: Crenelated, also crenellated; crenelation, crenellation (1849).

The Middle English verb for this was carnel (early 14c.), from the noun in Middle English and from Old French crenelé, from crenel.

crenelated (adj.)

"furnished with crenels," 1823, past-participle adjective from crenelate. The Middle English past-participle adjective was carneled.

Creole (n.)

"person born in a country but of a people not indigenous to it," c. 1600, from French créole (17c.), from Spanish criollo "(person) native to a locality," from Portuguese crioulo, diminutive of cria "person (especially a servant) raised in one's house," from criar "to raise or bring up," from Latin creare "to make, bring forth, produce, beget," from PIE root *ker- (2) "to grow."

The exact sense varies with local use. Fowler (1926) writes: "Creole does not imply mixture of race, but denotes a person either of European or (now rarely) of negro descent born and naturalized in certain West Indian and American countries." In U.S. use, applied to descendants of French and Spanish settlers in Louisiana from at least 1792. Of languages, from 1879. As an adjective, from 1748.

creophagy (n.)

"the eating of meat," 1860 in theological writings, in reference to the nature of the Lord's Presence in the Sacrament, from Latinized form of Greek kreo-, combining form of kreas "flesh" (from PIE root *kreue- "raw flesh") + -phagy "eating" (see -phagous). Related: Creophagous; creophagist.

creosote (n.)

substance prepared from wood-tar, 1835, from German Kreosot, coined 1832 by its discoverer, German-born natural philosopher Carl Ludwig, Baron Reichenbach, from Greek kreo-, combining form of kreas "flesh" (from PIE root *kreue- "raw flesh") + soter "preserver," from soizein "save, preserve" (perhaps from PIE root *teue- "to swell"). So called because it was used as an antiseptic and to preserve meat. The creosote-bush (1851) is so called for its smell.

crepe (n.)

1797, "crape-like fabric," especially white or colored, not the ordinary black for mourning, from French crêpe, Old French crespe "ruff, ruffle, frill" (14c.), from Latin crispa, fem. of crispus "curled, wrinkled, having curly hair," from PIE root *sker- (2) "to turn, bend." Crepe paper is attested by 1895.

Meaning "small, thin pancake" is from 1877, from French galette crêpe "curled/wrinkled pancake" (compare crumpet). Recipes for what seem to be similar things are in English cookery books from late 14c., often as crispes, cryspes, but at least once as cryppys. Related: Creperie. Crepe suzette "light pancake served rolled or folded, sprinkled with orange liqueur or brandy and flambéed," is by 1910 in English (suzette pancake is from 1907) and was the usual form until c. 1980.

crepitation (n.)

1650s, "a crackling noise," noun of action from Latin crepitare "to crackle," frequentative of crepare "to crack, creak" (see raven). In medical use from 1834 in reference to the crackling sound in the lungs characteristic of pneumonia. Related: Crepitate (1620s); crepitant.

crepitus (n.)

"a crackling noise," c. 1820, from Latin crepitus "a rattling, creaking;" another word for crepitation, which is from the same root. Compare Latin crepitaculum, name of an ancient instrument resembling the castanets.

crept

past tense and past participle of creep (v.).

crepuscule (n.)

"morning or evening twilight," late 14c., from Old French crépuscule (13c.), from Latin crepusculum.

crepuscular (adj.)

figurative use, "dim, indistinct," is attested from 1660s; literal use, "pertaining to or resembling twilight," from 1755, from Latin crepusculum "twilight, dusk," related to creper "obscure, uncertain," from Proto-Italic *krepos "twilight," which is of uncertain origin. It is not certain whether "twilight" or "obscure" was the original sense; de Vaan writes, "there is no known root of the form *krep- from which the extant meanings can be derived."

Especially of evening twilight, but 17c.-18c. also "like morning twilight" as symbolic of imperfect enlightenment. In zoology, "flying or appearing at sunset," from 1826. An older (and lovelier-sounding) adjective form was crepusculine (1540s).

crescendo (n.)

"a gradual increasing in force or loudness," 1776 as a musical term, from Italian crescendo "increasing," from Latin crescendo, ablative of gerund of crescere "to increase, grow" (from PIE root *ker- (2) "to grow"). Figurative use is from 1785. As a verb, from 1900.

crescent (n.)

late 14c., cressaunt, "crescent-shaped ornament," from Anglo-French cressaunt, from Old French creissant, croisant "crescent of the moon" (12c., Modern French croissant), from Latin crescentum (nominative crescens), present participle of crescere "come forth, spring up, grow, thrive, swell, increase in numbers or strength," from PIE root *ker- (2) "to grow."

Applied in Latin to the waxing moon, luna crescens, but subsequently in Latin mistaken to refer to the shape, not the stage. The original Latin sense is preserved in crescendo.

Meaning "moon's shape in its first or last quarter" is from mid-15c. in English. Meaning "small roll of bread made in the form of a crescent" is from 1886. Adjectival sense of "shaped like the crescent moon" is from c. 1600 (earlier it meant "increasing, growing," 1570s).

A badge or emblem of the Turkish sultans (probably chosen for its suggestion of "increase"); figurative sense of "Muslim political power" is from 1580s, but modern writers often falsely associate it with the Saracens of the Crusades or the Moors of Spain. Horns of the waxing moon are on the viewer's left side; those of the waning moon are on his right.

cress (n.)

common name for a plant of the mustard family, Old English cresse, originally cærse, from Proto-Germanic *krasjon- (source also of Middle Low German kerse, karse; Middle Dutch kersse; Old High German kresso, German Kresse), from PIE root *gras- "to devour" (see gastric). It underwent a metathesis similar to that of grass. French cresson, Italian crescione are Germanic loan-words.

crest (n.)

early 14c., "highest part of a helmet," an extended sense, from Old French creste "tuft or tuft-like growth on the top of an animal's head, comb" (12c., Modern French crête), from Latin crista "tuft, plume," which is derived from the same source as words for "hair" (such as crinis, crispus), but it also was used for crest of a cock or the upright ornaments of a helmet. Said by Watkins to be from an extended form of PIE root *sker- (2) "to turn, bend." Replaced Old English hris.

The "tuft of an animal" sense is from late 14c. in English.Meaning "highest part of a hill or mountain range" is from late 14c.

crest (v.)

late 14c., "provide with a crest," from Old French crester (12c.), from creste (see crest (n.)). Meaning "to come over the top ('crest') of" is from 1832; intransitive sense of "form or rise in a crest, reach the highest point" is from 1850. Related: Crested; cresting.

crestfallen (adj.)

"dejected, dispirited," 1580s, creast falne, it has the form of a past-participle adjective, but the verb crestfall is recorded only from 1610s, in reference to diseased horses, and is rare. It's possible that the image behind this use of the word is not having the crest fallen, as a defeated cock does, but horses. Crest-risen "proud, lusty" is from 1610s.

cretaceous (adj.)

1670s, "chalky," from Latin cretaceus "chalk-like," from creta "chalk." As a geological period (with a capital C-) between the Jurassic and the Tertiary, it is attested from 1851, a reference to the extensive chalk beds of southeastern England that were laid down during the Cretaceous and studied in the early years of geology. In reference to the chalk beds, cretaceous is attested in geology writing by 1832.

Cretan (n.)

Old English Cretense (plural), "natives or inhabitants of Crete, from Latin Cretanus (singular); see Crete. They were proverbial in ancient times as liars; compare Greek noun kretismos "lying," literally "Cretan behavior," and the classical sophism expressing the liar paradox (see one version below). Alternative Cretic (c. 1600) was used especially of a form of verse.

Crete

large island south of Greece, traditionally said to be from Krus, name of a mythological ancestor, but probably an ethnic name of some sort.

cretin (n.)

1779, from French crétin (18c.), from Alpine dialect crestin, "a dwarfed and deformed idiot" of a type formerly found in families in the Alpine lands, a condition caused by a congenital deficiency of thyroid hormones. The word is of uncertain origin. By many it has been identified with Vulgar Latin *christianus "a Christian," a generic term for "anyone," but often with a sense of "poor fellow." Related: Cretinism (1796).

cretonne (n.)

"cotton cloth with various textures of surface," 1863 (Godey's, in the November edition, where it is presented as a new material, "of French make, and resembling alpaca"), from French cretonne (1723), supposedly from Creton, village in Normandy where it originally was made.

crevasse (n.)

1823, "a fissure or crack in the ice of glaciers in the Alps;" 1814, "a breach in a riverbank" (in this use via Louisiana French), from French crevasse, from Old French crevace "crevice" (see crevice). Identical with crevice, but re-adopted in senses for which the then-meaning of crevice was felt to be too small.

crevice (n.)

"a crack, a cleft, a fissure," mid-14c., crevace, from Old French crevace (12c., Modern French crevasse) "gap, rift, crack" (also, vulgarly, "the female pudenda"), from Vulgar Latin *crepacia, from Latin crepare "to crack, creak" (see raven). Between Latin and French the meaning shifted from the sound of breaking to the resulting fissure.

crew (n.)

mid-15c., "group of soldiers sent as reinforcements" (a sense now obsolete), from Old French crue, creue "an increase, recruit, military reinforcement," from fem. past participle of creistre "to grow," from Latin crescere "to arise, grow" (from PIE root *ker- (2) "to grow"). Compare accrue.

Meaning "any company of people" is from 1570s; that of "group of people engaged upon a particular work" is attested by 1690s. Sense of "company of seamen who man a ship, vessel, or boat, common sailors of a ship's company" is from 1690s. Crew-cut hairstyle first attested 1938, so called because the style originally was adopted by boat crews at Harvard and Yale.

crewel (n.)

late 15c., "a kind of thin, worsted wool yarn used in embroidery and fancy work," of unknown origin. Hence crewel-work, kind of embroidery done by crewel, usually upon linen (1849).

cried

past tense and past participle of cry (v.).

crib (v.)

c. 1600, "to shut or confine in a crib," from crib (n.). Meaning "to steal" (1748) originally was thieves' slang, probably from the noun in a secondary sense of "a basket."

This also is the probable source of student slang meaning "plagiarize; translate by means of a 'crib' " (1778). Crib (n.) in the sense of "literal translation of a classical author for illegitimate use by students" (often a Greek work rendered word-for-word into Latin) is from 1827. The meaning "something taken without permission, a plagiarism" is from 1834. Related: Cribbed; cribbing.

crib (n.)

Old English cribbe "manger of a cattle stable, fodder bin in cowsheds and fields," from a West Germanic word (source also of Old Saxon kribbia "manger;" Old Frisian and Middle Dutch kribbe; Old High German krippa, German Krippe "crib, manger") probably related to German Krebe "basket."

Meaning "enclosed child's bed with barred sides" is 1640s; probably from frequent use in reference to the manger where infant Jesus was laid. Thieves' slang for "house, public house, shop" dates to at least 1812, but late 20c. slang use for "dwelling house" probably is independent. The Old High German version of the word passed to French and became creche.

cribbage (n.)

card game for two or four, 1620s, probably from crib "set of cards thrown from each player's hand" (which is of uncertain origin), though this word is later than the game name.

cribriform (adj.)

"sieve-like, riddled with small holes," 1741, from Latin cribrum "a sieve" (from PIE root *krei- "to sieve") + -form.

crick (n.1)

"painful cramping and stiffness in some part of the body (especially of the neck) making motion difficult," early 15c., of uncertain origin; OED [2nd. ed. print, 1989] says "probably onomatopœic." The Middle English Compendium points to Scandinavian cognates meaning "corner, bend."

crick (n.2)

"small stream, brook," early 13c., kryk, crick, crike; see creek.

cricket (n.1)

saltatorial orthopterous insect, early 14c. (late 12c. as a surname), from Old French criquet "a cricket" (12c.), from criquer "to creak, rattle, crackle," of echoic origin, with a diminutive suffix; The Middle English Compendium says the French word is from Germanic (compare Dutch krekel, German Kreckel). The earliest uses in English are in reference to the fabulous fire-dwelling salamander (perhaps from the notion of hearth crickets); in reference to the insect, by c. 1500.

cricket (n.2)

open-air game played by two sides of 11 with bats, balls, and wickets, 1590s, apparently from Old French criquet "goal post, stick," perhaps from Middle Dutch/Middle Flemish cricke "stick, staff," which is perhaps from the same root as crutch. Sense of "fair play" is first recorded 1851, on the notion of "cricket as it should be played."

crier (n.)

late 13c., "officer who makes public pronouncements in a court of justice," agent noun from cry (v.). From early 13c. as a surname. Meaning "one appointed by a town or community to utter public proclamations" (the town crier sense) is from late 14c.

crikey (interj.)

exclamation, 1838, probably one of the many substitutions for Christ.

crime (n.)

mid-13c., "sinfulness, infraction of the laws of God," from Old French crimne "crime, mortal sin" (12c., Modern French crime), from Latin crimen (genitive criminis "charge, indictment, accusation; crime, fault, offense," which probably is from cernere "to decide, to sift" (from PIE root *krei- "to sieve," thus "discriminate, distinguish").

Klein (citing Brugmann) rejects this and suggests *cri-men, which originally would have been "cry of distress" (Tucker also suggests a root in "cry" words and refers to English plaint, plaintiff, etc.). But de Vaan accepts that it is from cernere (compare discriminate).

The meaning "offense punishable by law, act or omission which the law punishes in the name of the state" is from late 14c. The sense of "any great wickedness or wrongdoing" is from 1510s. The Latin word is glossed in Old English by facen, which also meant "deceit, fraud, treachery." Crime wave is attested by 1893, American English.

Crimea

large peninsula at the north end of the Black Sea, Modern Latin, from Greek Krimm, Krym, of uncertain origin. Suggested connections include Greek kremos "steep bank," Mongolian (Tatar) kherem "strength." Not an ancient name; in classical times it was Taurida, from a native people name. Related: Crimean. The Crimean War (1854-56) pitted Great Britain, France, and Turkey against Russia.

criminal (adj.)

c. 1400, "sinful, wicked;" mid-15c., "of or pertaining to a legally punishable offense, of the nature of a crime;" late 15c., "guilty of crime," from Old French criminel, criminal "criminal, despicable, wicked" (11c.) and directly from Late Latin criminalis "pertaining to crime," from Latin crimen (genitive criminis); see crime. It preserves the Latin -n-. Other adjectives include criminous (mid-15c.), criminative. Criminal law (or criminal justice) has been distinguished from civil in English at least since late 15c.

criminal (n.)

"person who has committed a punishable offense against public law," 1620s, from criminal (adj.). Particularly, "person convicted of a crime by proof or confession."

criminality (n.)

"quality or state of being criminal," 1610s, from French criminalité, from Medieval Latin criminalitas, from Latin criminalis (see criminal (adj.)).

criminate (v.)

1660s, "declare guilty of a crime;" 1670s, "censure, hold up to blame," from Latin criminatus, past participle of criminare "to accuse of a crime," from crimen (genitive criminis) "crime" (see crime). Related: Crimination (1580s).

criminy (interj.)

also crimine, crimini, 1680s; it looks like Italian crimine "crime," but perhaps it is a deformation of Gemini (which is recorded as as an oath from 1660s) or simply another euphemism for Christ as a swear-word.

criminology (n.)

"the science of crime," 1890, from Latin stem of criminal + -ology. Criminologist "one who studies crime" is recorded from 1857. Criminalist "authority on criminal law" is from 1630s.

crimp (n.)

"that which has been crimped or curled," 1863, "natural curl in wool fiber," from crimp (v.). In reference to crimped hair by 1867. To put a crimp in or on (something) is by 1896, U.S. slang.

crimp (v.)

late 14c., "cause to contract or be wrinkled or wavy." Old English had gecrympan "to crimp, curl," but the modern word probably is from Middle Dutch or Low German crimpen/krimpen "to shrink, crimp." Sense of "bend back or inward, draw together" is from 1712. Related: Crimped; crimping.

crimson (v.)

c. 1600, "to make crimson" (transitive), from crimson (n.). From 1805 as "to become crimson" (intransitive). Related: Crimsoned; crimsoning.

crimson (n.)

"highly chromatic deep red color," early 15c., cremesin, "cloth dyed deep purplish-red," also as an adjective, "of a crimson color," from Old Italian carmesi, cremesi (c. 1300), later carmisino, cremesinus, "crimson color; cochineal dye," from Arabic qirmizī (see kermes). For similar transfer of the dye word to generic use for "red," compare Old Church Slavonic čruminu, Russian čermnyj "red," from the same source. The French form in 15c.-16c. when the word entered English was cramoisin. "The word in Italian came from Arabic, and the word in all other European languages came from Italian via exports of silk cloths from Italy." ["English Words of Arabic Ancestry"]

cringe (v.)

1570s, "to bend or crouch, especially with servility or fear," variant of crenge, crenche "to bend" (c. 1200), from causative of Old English cringan "yield, give way, fall (in battle); become bent," from Proto-Germanic *krank- "bend, curl up" (source also of Old Norse kringr, Dutch kring, German Kring "circle, ring"). Related: Cringed; cringing. As a noun from 1590s. Cringe-worthy (adj.) is attested by 1990.

crinkle (v.)

late 14c. (implied in crinkled), "become wrinkled or convoluted" (intransitive), from frequentative of Old English crincan, variant of cringan "to bend, yield" (see cringe). Transitive sense of "to form into wrinkles or convolutions" is by 1825. Related: Crinkling. As a noun from 1590s.

crinkum-crankum (n.)

1761, "winding or crooked line; anything full of twists and turns," mock Latin based on crank, etc.

crinoid (adj.)

type of stalked echinoderm found in Paleozoic fossils and, living, at great depths in the sea, 1847, from Latinized form of Greek krinoeides "lily-like," from krinon "lily" (a foreign word of unknown origin) + -oeides "like" (see -oid). So called from their resemblance to a lily or tulip. The word is attested as an adjective in English, "lily-shaped," from 1836. Related: Crinoidal.

crinoline (n.)

stiff material originally made partly or wholly of horsehair, 1830, from French crinoline "hair cloth" (19c.), from Italian crinolino, from crino "horsehair" (from Latin crinis "hair," from PIE root *sker- (2) "to turn, bend") + lino "flax, thread," from Latin linum (see linen). So called from the warp and woof fibers of the original mixture.

Petticoats made of it were worn by women under the skirt to support or distend it, and the meaning of the word subsequently was extended to the steel or whalebone framework used for making hoop-skirts (1848).

Crip (n.)

member of a major U.S. street gang, founded in South Central Los Angeles 1971, the name supposedly originally was cribs, partly a reference to the youth of most of the original members, and when they began carrying "pimp canes" it was altered to Crip, which has been attested in U.S. slang as a shortening of cripple (n.) since 1918.

cripes (interj.)

exclamation of dismay, surprise, etc., 1910, probably another euphemism for Christ.

cripple (n.)

Old English crypel, "one who creeps, halts, or limps, one partly or wholly deprived of the use of one or more limbs," related to cryppan "to crook, bend," from Proto-Germanic *krupilaz (source also of Old Frisian kreppel, Middle Dutch cropel, German krüppel, Old Norse kryppill). Possibly also related to Old English creopan "to creep" (creopere, literally "creeper," was another Old English word for "crippled person").

In place-names in Middle English, cripple meant "a low opening, a burrow, a den" (such as one must bend or creep to enter), a sense perhaps preserved in the U.S. use of cripple for "a dense thicket or swampy low-land" (1670s).

cripple (v.)

mid-13c., "to move slowly, be crippled," from cripple (n.). Transitive meaning "make a cripple of, lame, partially disable by injury to a limb or limbs" is from early 14c. (implied in crippled). Related: Crippling.

crippled (adj.)

"partly or wholly deprived of the use of one or more limbs," early 14c., from cripple (v.). The earlier adjective in Middle English was crepel, crupel (early 13c.).

crisis (n.)

early 15c., crise, crisis, "decisive point in the progress of a disease," also "vitally important or decisive state of things, point at which change must come, for better or worse," from Latinized form of Greek krisis "turning point in a disease, that change which indicates recovery or death" (used as such by Hippocrates and Galen), literally "judgment, result of a trial, selection," from krinein "to separate, decide, judge," from PIE root *krei- "to sieve," thus "discriminate, distinguish."

Transferred non-medical sense is 1620s in English. A German term for "mid-life crisis" is Torschlusspanik, literally "shut-door-panic," fear of being on the wrong side of a closing gate.

crisp (adj.)

Old English crisp "curly, crimped, wavy" (of hair, wool, etc.) from Latin crispus "curled, wrinkled, having curly hair," from PIE root *sker- (2) "to turn, bend."

It began to mean "brittle" 1520s, for obscure reasons, perhaps based on what happens to flat things when they are cooked. Sense of "neat, brisk, having a fresh appearance" (1814) is perhaps a figurative use, or perhaps a separate word. Of air, "chill, bracing" by 1869.

As a noun from mid-14c., originally the name of a light, crinkly material formerly used for kerchiefs, veils, etc.; late 14c. as a kind of pastry. By 1826 as "overdone piece of anything cooked" (as in burned to a crisp). Potato crisps (now the British version of U.S. potato chips, but not originally exclusively British) is by 1897; as simply crisps by 1935. In U.S., crisps began to be used by 1903 in trade names of breakfast cereals. Related: Crisply; crispness.

crisp (v.)

late 14c., "to curl, to twist into short, stiff waves or ringlets" (of the hair, beard, mane, etc.) from crisp (adj.) or else from Old French crespir, Latin crispare, from the adjectives. Meaning "to become brittle" is from 1805. Related: Crisped; crisping; crispation.

crispy (adj.)

late 14c., "curly," from crisp (adj.) + -y (2). Meaning "brittle" is recorded from 1610s.

Crispin (n.)

"shoemaker," 1640s, in literary use only, from Ss. Crispin and Crispinian (martyred at Soissons c. 285), patrons of shoemakers. French hagiographers make the brothers noble Romans who, while they preached in Gaul, worked as shoemakers to avoid living on the alms of the faithful. Their day was Oct. 25. The name is Crispinus, a Roman cognomen, from Latin crispus "curly" (probably with reference to hair; see crisp (adj.)).

crissake (interj.)

also crissakes, by 1923 (in form Chris'sake by 1914), a euphemism or contraction of Christ's sake.

crisscross (n.)

also criss-cross, 1833, "a checked pattern in cloth," 1848, "a crossing or intersection," from Middle English crist(s)-crosse (early 15c.), earlier Cristes-cros (c. 1200) "the Cross of Christ," also "the sign of the cross," from late 14c. often "referring to the mark of a cross formerly written before the alphabet in hornbooks. The mark itself stood for the phrase Christ-cross me speed ('May Christ's cross give me success'), a formula said before reciting the alphabet" [Barnhart]. It has long been used without awareness of its origin.

It is attested from 1860 as an old name for tic-tac-toe. As an adjective, by 1846. As a verb, by 1818.

Cristina

fem. proper name, the native form of Latin Christiana, fem. of Christianus (see Christian). In the Middle Ages, the masculine form of the name (Cristian) was less popular in England than the feminine, though Christian was common in Brittany. Surnames Christie, Chrystal, etc. represent common Northern and Scottish pet forms of the names.

crit

1908, shortening of criticism; as a shortening of critical (mass, etc.) by 1957, originally among nuclear physicists.

criteria (n.)

"standards of judgment or criticism, rules by which opinions or conduct can be tested," 1620s, classical plural of criterion (q.v.). Also see -a (2). Related: Criterial.

criterion (n.)

"a standard of judgment or criticism, rule by which opinion or conduct can be tested," 1660s, from Latinized form of Greek kriterion "means for judging, standard," from krites "judge," from PIE root *krei- "to sieve," thus "discriminate, distinguish." Used in English as a Greek word from 1610s.

critical (adj.)

1580s, "censorious, inclined to find fault," from critic + -al (1). Sense of "important or essential for determining" is from c. 1600, originally in medicine. Meaning "of the nature of a crisis, in a condition of extreme doubt or danger" is from 1660s; that of "involving judgment as to the truth or merit of something" is from 1640s; that of "having the knowledge, ability, or discernment to pass judgment" is from 1640s. Meaning "pertaining to criticism" is from 1741.

Related: Criticality (1756; in the nuclear sense, 1950); critically (1650s, "accurately;" 1815, "in a critical situation"). In nuclear science, critical mass is attested from 1940.

criticize (v.)

1640s, "to pass judgment (usually unfavorable) on something," from critic + -ize. Meaning "to discuss critically" is from 1660s; that of "to censure, point out defects or faults in" is from 1704. Related: Criticized; criticizing. The earlier verb for "to criticize" was simply critic (c. 1600), from French critiquer.

critic (n.)

formerly critick, 1580s, "one who passes judgment, person skilled in judging merit in some particular class of things," from French critique (14c.), from Latin criticus "a judge, a censor, an estimator," also "grammarian who detects spurious passages in literary work," from Greek kritikos "able to make judgments," from krinein "to separate, decide" (from PIE root *krei- "to sieve," thus "discriminate, distinguish"). The meaning "one who judges merits of books, plays, etc." is from c. 1600. The English word always has had overtones of "censurer, faultfinder, one who judges severely."

For "inferior or incompetent critic" 17c. had criticaster; later generations used criticling, critikin, criticule.