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Cres·cent

(krĕsənt)

A trademark for an adjustable open-end wrench.

cres·cent

(krĕsənt)

1. The figure of the moon as it appears before its first quarter phase or after its third quarter phase, with concave and convex edges terminating in points.

a. A curved street.

b. A curved block of buildings, especially row houses, forming a continuous facade.

3. A curved pastry.

adj.

1. Crescent-shaped.

2. Waxing, as the moon approaching its first quarter phase; increasing.

[Middle English cressaunt, from Anglo-Norman, variant of Old French creissant, from present participle of creistre, to grow, from Latin crēscere; see ker-² in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

cres·centic (krə-sĕntĭk) adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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