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cruise (krz)
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v. cruised, cruis·ing, cruis·es
v.intr.
1.
a. To sail from place to place, as for pleasure or reconnaissance.
b. To go or move along, especially in an unhurried or unconcerned fashion: "A car, a long closed car that maybe was a Packard, came slowly down the street, and ... cruised close to the curb" (Carson McCullers).
2. To travel at a constant speed or at a speed providing maximum operating efficiency for a sustained period.
3.
a. Informal To move leisurely about an area in the hope of discovering something: taxis cruising for fares.
b. Slang To look for a sexual partner, as in a public place.
4. To move by taking steps while holding on to nearby objects for support. Used of a baby.
5. To inspect a wooded area to determine its lumber yield.
v.tr.
1. To travel about or journey over.
2. Slang
a. To look in (a public area) for a sexual partner.
b. To seek out and make a sexual overture to.
3. To inspect in order to determine lumber yield.
n.
The act or an instance of cruising, especially a sea voyage for pleasure.
[Dutch kruisen, to cross, from kruis, cross, from Middle Dutch cruce, from Latin crux, cruc-, cross.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

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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