definitions

crescent

[ kres-uh nt ]
/ ˈkrɛs ənt /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR crescent ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

adjective

shaped like a crescent.
increasing; growing.

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RELATED WORDS

curve, bow, meniscus, sickle, half-moon, bowed, concave, convex, curved, crescentic, falcate, semicircular, demilune, lune

Nearby words

cres., crescas, crescendo, crescendo angina, crescendo murmur, crescent, crescent cell anemia, crescent truss, crescit eundo, crescive, creslan

Origin of crescent

1350–1400; < Latin crēscent- (stem of crēscēns) present participle of crēscere to grow (see create, -esce); replacing Middle English cressaunt < Anglo-French < Latin as above

Related forms

cres·cen·tic [kri-sen-tik] /krɪˈsɛn tɪk/, adjectivesub·cres·cen·tic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for crescent

British Dictionary definitions for crescent

crescent

/ (ˈkrɛsənt, -zənt) /

noun

the biconcave shape of the moon in its first or last quarters
any shape or object resembling this
mainly British
  1. a crescent-shaped street, often lined with houses of the same style
  2. (capital when part of a name)Pelham Crescent
heraldry a crescent moon, used as the cadency mark of a second son
the crescent (often capital)
  1. the emblem of Islam or Turkey
  2. Islamic or Turkish power

adjective

archaic, or poetic increasing or growing

Derived Forms

crescentic (krəˈsɛntɪk), adjective

Word Origin for crescent

C14: from Latin crescēns increasing, from crescere to grow
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

Medicine definitions for crescent

crescent

[ krĕs′ənt ]

n.

Something having concave and convex edges terminating in points.

adj.

Crescent-shaped.

Related forms

cres•cen′tic (krə-sĕn′tĭk) adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for crescent

crescent

[ krĕs′ənt ]

Partly but less than half illuminated. Used to describe the Moon or a planet. Compare gibbous.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.