crucifix

American  

[kroo-suh-fiks] / ˈkru sə fɪks /

noun

1. a cross with the figure of Jesus crucified upon it.

2. any cross.

3. 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.

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crucifix British  

/ ˈkruːsɪfɪks /

noun

1. a cross or image of a cross with a figure of Christ upon it

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Other Word Forms

• crucificial
  adjective

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

Crucifix clenched in her pocket, she slipped with her mother and younger sister through a hole cut in the wire fence by men she believed were Belarusian police.

From Reuters • Oct. 14, 2021

A modest space with small religious paintings and sketches from the 1840s and ’50s raises the emotional pitch with amazing Lamentations and Pietas, and a Rubenesque sketch for a Crucifix.

From New York Times • Sep. 13, 2018

The convent abuts the Church of the Most Holy Crucifix, where a sign outside recounts how the church was heavily damaged in earthquakes in 1639 and in the early 20th century.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 24, 2016

He's working on what he called a "roman a clef" with a title he appears to think reflect his own story: "Blue Steel Crucifix."

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 10, 2014

Through the chapel of the Crucifix we reach the choir of St. Clare, left as when she used it, with the old worm-eaten stalls against the wall.

From The Story of Assisi by Gordon, Lina Duff