crest

[ krest ]
See synonyms for: crestcrestedcresting on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the highest part of a hill or mountain range; summit.

  2. the head or top of anything.

  1. a ridge or ridgelike formation.

  2. the foamy top of a wave.

  3. the point of highest flood, as of a river.

  4. the highest point or level; climax; culmination.

  5. a tuft or other natural growth on the top of the head of an animal, as the comb of a rooster.

  6. anything resembling or suggesting such a tuft.

  7. the ridge of the neck of a horse, dog, etc.

  8. the mane growing from this ridge.

  9. an ornament or heraldic device surmounting a helmet.

  10. a helmet.

  11. a ridge running from front to back along the top of a helmet; comb.

  12. Heraldry. a figure borne above the escutcheon in an achievement of arms, either on a helmet or by itself as a distinguishing device.

  13. Anatomy. a ridge, especially on a bone.

  14. a ridge or other prominence on any part of the body of an animal.

  15. Architecture. a cresting.

  16. Machinery. (in a screw or other threaded object) the ridge or surface farthest from the body of the object and defined by the flanks of the thread.: Compare root1 (def. 15a).

verb (used with object)
  1. to furnish with a crest.

  2. to serve as a crest for; crown or top.

  1. to reach the crest or summit of (a hill, mountain, etc.).

verb (used without object)
  1. to form or rise to a crest, as a wave or river.

  2. to reach the crest or highest level: Interest in the project has crested.

Origin of crest

1
1275–1325; Middle English creste<Old French <Latin crista

Other words from crest

  • crested, adjective
  • crestless, adjective
  • subcrest, noun
  • un·crest·ed, adjective
  • un·der·crest, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use crest in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for crest (1 of 2)

crest

/ (krɛst) /


noun
  1. a tuft or growth of feathers, fur, or skin along the top of the heads of some birds, reptiles, and other animals

  2. something resembling or suggesting this

  1. the top, highest point, or highest stage of something

  2. a ridge on the neck of a horse, dog, lion, etc

  3. the mane or hair growing from this ridge

  4. an ornamental piece, such as a plume, on top of a helmet

  5. heraldry a symbol of a family or office, usually representing a beast or bird, borne in addition to a coat of arms and used in medieval times to decorate the helmet

  6. a ridge along the top of a roof, wall, etc

  7. a ridge along the surface of a bone

  8. Also called: cresting archery identifying rings painted around an arrow shaft

verb
  1. (intr) to come or rise to a high point

  2. (tr) to lie at the top of; cap

  1. (tr) to go to or reach the top of (a hill, wave, etc)

Origin of crest

1
C14: from Old French creste, from Latin crista

Derived forms of crest

  • crested, adjective
  • crestless, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for CREST (2 of 2)

CREST

/ (krɛst) /


noun
  1. an electronic share-settlement system, created by the Bank of England and owned by 69 firms, that began operations in 1996

Origin of CREST

2
C20: from CrestCo, the name of the operating company

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for crest

crest

[ krĕst ]


  1. The part of a wave with greatest magnitude; the highest part of a wave. Compare trough. See more at wave.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.