cruciform

[ kroo-suh-fawrm ]

/ ˈkru səˌfɔrm /

adjective

being in the shape of a cross; cross-shaped.

noun

a cross.

Nearby words

crucifer, cruciferous, crucifix, crucifixion, crucifixion thorn, cruciform, crucify, crucis, cruciverbalist, cruck, crud

Origin of cruciform

1655–65; < Latin cruci- (stem of crux) cross + -form

Related forms

cru·ci·for·mi·ty, nouncru·ci·form·ly, adverbnon·cru·ci·form, adjectivenon·cru·ci·form·ly, adverb

sub·cru·ci·form, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cruciform

The church, which is said to date from the 12th cent., looks as if it had once been cruciform, with a central tower.
Somerset|G.W. Wade and J.H. Wade
The present St. Sophia, on the contrary, may be regarded as practically the type of the cruciform structure.
The Catholic World; Volume I, Issues 1-6|E. Rameur
All the ancient cathedral churches of England and Wales are cruciform in plan, except Llandaff.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7|Various
The Holy Child is distinguished by a cruciform nimbus, while that of the Virgin is a plain circle.
Bell's Cathedrals: Southwark Cathedral|George Worley

He confounds the basilica with the cruciform cathedral, and with "the plan of the Roman forum."
Notes and Queries, Number 214, December 3, 1853|Various

British Dictionary definitions for cruciform

cruciform

/ (ˈkruːsɪˌfɔːm) /

adjective

shaped like a cross

noun

a geometric curve, shaped like a cross, that has four similar branches asymptotic to two mutually perpendicular pairs of lines. Equation: x ² y ² – a ² x ² – a ² y ² = 0, where x = y = ± a are the four lines

Derived Forms

cruciformly, adverb

Word Origin for cruciform

C17: from Latin crux cross + -form

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