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Synonyms

crag

1 American  
[krag] / kræg /

noun

  1. a steep, rugged rock; rough, broken, projecting part of a rock.


crag 2 American  
[krag] / kræg /

noun

Scot. and North England.
  1. the neck, throat, or craw.


Crag 1 British  
/ kræɡ /

noun

  1. a formation of shelly sandstone in E England, deposited during the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs

"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

crag 2 British  
/ kræɡ /

noun

  1. a steep rugged rock or peak

"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

Other Word Forms

  • craglike adjective

Etymology

Origin of crag1

1275–1325; Middle English < British Celtic; akin to Welsh craig rock

Origin of crag2

1425–75; late Middle English cragge < Middle Dutch crage neck, throat; cognate with German Kragen collar; craw

Explanation

A crag is a rough, jagged section of rock. Some sections of the Maine coast are made up of rugged crags and rocky beaches. Steep rock faces and cliffs are covered with crags — if you're a rock climber, you might attempt to scale the crags of a jagged rocky mountain. Parts of northern England and Scotland are particularly famous for their crags, and in fact the root of the word crag is Celtic, related to the Old Irish crec, "rock," and the Welsh craig. "rock" or "stone."

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Vocabulary lists containing crag

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.

Images from the scene showed a steep crag overlooking the riverbed where searchers were scrambling over boulders.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 6, 2024

Another of the climbers out on the crag this day - Kieran - describes climbing as his "favourite", after progressing to outdoor climbing recently from indoor walls in Carlisle.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2023

We sat in the shade of a crag near the top of the ridge.

From New York Times • Apr. 20, 2022

Nestled in a sandstone crag along a winding river in the English countryside, a near-complete Anglo-Saxon cave house has been waiting to tell centuries-old stories.

From Washington Post • Jul. 17, 2021

I saw a lizard run over the crag; I saw a bee busy among the sweet bilberries.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë