crux

[ kruhks ]
/ krʌks /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR crux ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural crux·es, cru·ces [kroo-seez] /ˈkru siz/.

a vital, basic, decisive, or pivotal point: The crux of the trial was his whereabouts at the time of the murder.
a cross.
something that torments by its puzzling nature; a perplexing difficulty.

QUIZZES

FOR POSTERITY’S SAKE, TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Are words your bailiwick? Take the latest quiz on the words from July 6 to July 12 to find out.
Question 1 of 7
bailiwick
a creature, variously described as a serpent, lizard, or dragon, said to kill by its breath or look.
place or source of origin.
a person's area of skill, knowledge, authority, or work.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of crux

1635–45; < Latin: stake, scaffold, or cross used in executions, torment; figurative senses perhaps < New Latin crux (interpretum) (commentators') torment, a difficult passage in a text; cf. crucial

Words nearby crux

cruveilhier's disease, cruveilhier's sign, cruveilhier-baumgarten murmur, cruveilhier-baumgarten sign, cruveilhier-baumgarten syndrome, crux, crux ansata, crux of heart, crux of the matter, crux pilorum, cruyff

Definition for crux (2 of 2)

Crux
[ kruhks ]
/ krʌks /

noun, genitive Cru·cis [kroo-sis] /ˈkru sɪs/. Astronomy.

Southern Cross.

Origin of Crux

< Latin: a cross
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to crux

core, nub, gist, essence, body, kernel, substance, meat, purport, nitty-gritty, heart, pith, thrust, matter

Example sentences from the Web for crux

British Dictionary definitions for crux (1 of 2)

crux
/ (krʌks) /

noun plural cruxes or cruces (ˈkruːsiːz)

a vital or decisive stage, point, etc (often in the phrase the crux of the matter)
a baffling problem or difficulty
mountaineering the most difficult and often decisive part of a climb or pitch
a rare word for cross

Word Origin for crux

C18: from Latin: cross

British Dictionary definitions for crux (2 of 2)

Crux
/ (krʌks) /

noun Latin genitive Crucis (ˈkruːsɪs)

the more formal name for the Southern Cross
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

Medical definitions for crux

crux
[ krŭks, kruks ]

n. pl. crux•es

A cross or a crosslike structure.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.