crucifix
Americannoun
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crucifixes
plural
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a cross with the figure of Jesus crucified upon it.
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any cross.
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Gymnastics. a stunt performed on the parallel rings in which the athlete holds their body rigid with their legs vertically extended together and their arms extended horizontally from the shoulders.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of crucifix
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Late Latin crucifīxus “the crucified one” (i.e., Christ), noun use of masculine of past participle of Latin crucifīgere “to crucify; ” see fix
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The crucifix and Elgin watch conjured Sunday mornings and the quiet pride of women who never stepped outside without dignity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
A small crucifix is affixed to the wall above, and a rolling, pink-topped hospital table sits on the far side of the room.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2025
Someone knelt down and clipped a microphone to her lapel, a few inches from the crucifix that dangled from her neck.
From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2025
In the shadow of a vast crucifix, labourers and construction workers in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez are building a small city of their own.
From BBC ● Jan. 25, 2025
"Please, please, Señorita Sandi, you must release him," Milagros pleaded, taking my drawing off the wall where she'd hung it beside a crucifix.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
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They send the more damaged wood to another prison in Rome, where prisoners make crucifixes for rosaries.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 13, 2024
But thanks in large part to a memorable head-swiveling cinematic character, Roman collars and crucifixes have long cornered a unique place in the American image of exorcism.
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2023
In the middle of a forest not far from Kenya's coast, piles of fresh earth topped with crucifixes await the attention of forensic experts.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2023
Though secretive about their ceremonies, the group’s leader, Jeremiah Martinez, opened the door to the morada revealing a simple altar with crucifixes and a few wooden pews.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2023
“Yes. First off, neither of us is Christian. Second off, spending the summer chasing after idiotic roadside attractions is not going to fix anything. Third off, crucifixes remind me of her.”
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.