Cranium Cra"ni·um noun ;
plural E.
Craniums (-...mz), Latin
Crania (-...). [ New Latin , from Greek ............; akin to
ka`ra head.]
The skull of an animal; especially, that part of the skull, either cartilaginous or bony, which immediately incloses the brain; the brain case or brainpan. See Skull .
Crank Crank noun [ Middle English
cranke ; akin to E.
cringe ,
cringle ,
crinkle , and to
crank ,
adjective , the root meaning, probably, "to turn, twist." See
Cringe .]
1. (Machinery) A bent portion of an axle, or shaft, or an arm keyed at right angles to the end of a shaft, by which motion is imparted to or received from it; also used to change circular into reciprocating motion, or reciprocating into circular motion. See Bell crank . 2. Any bend, turn, or winding, as of a passage. So many turning cranks these have, so many crooks.
Spenser.
3. A twist or turn in speech; a conceit consisting in a change of the form or meaning of a word. Quips, and cranks , and wanton wiles.
Milton.
4. A twist or turn of the mind; caprice; whim; crotchet; also, a fit of temper or passion. [ Prov. Eng.]
Violent of temper; subject to sudden cranks .
Carlyle.
5. A person full of crotchets; one given to fantastic or impracticable projects; one whose judgment is perverted in respect to a particular matter. [ Colloq.]
6. A sick person; an invalid. [ Obsolete]
Thou art a counterfeit crank , a cheater.
Burton.
Crank axle (Machinery) ,
a driving axle formed with a crank or cranks, as in some kinds of locomotives. --
Crank pin (Machinery) ,
the cylindrical piece which forms the handle, or to which the connecting rod is attached, at the end of a crank, or between the arms of a double crank. --
Crank shaft ,
a shaft bent into a crank, or having a crank fastened to it, by which it drives or is driven. --
Crank wheel ,
a wheel acting as a crank, or having a wrist to which a connecting rod is attached.
Crank Crank adjective [ Anglo-Saxon
cranc weak ; akin to Icelandic
krangr , D. & German
krank sick, weak (cf. Dutch
krengen to careen). Confer
Crank ,
noun ]
1. Sick; infirm. [ Prov. Eng.]
2. (Nautical) Liable to careen or be overset, as a ship when she is too narrow, or has not sufficient ballast, or is loaded too high, to carry full sail. 3. Full of spirit; brisk; lively; sprightly; overconfident; opinionated. He who was, a little before, bedrid, . . . was now crank and lusty.
Udall.
If you strong electioners did not think you were among the elect, you would not be so crank about it.
Mrs. Stowe.
Crank Crank intransitive verb [ See
Crank ,
noun ]
To run with a winding course; to double; to crook; to wind and turn. See how this river comes me cranking in.
Shak.
Crankbird Crank"bird` noun (Zoology) A small European woodpecker ( Picus minor ).
Cranked Cranked adjective Formed with, or having, a bend or crank; as, a cranked axle.
Crankiness Crank"i·ness noun Crankness. Lowell.
Crankle Cran"kle transitive verb [ Confer
Crinkle .]
To break into bends, turns, or angles; to crinkle. Old Veg's stream . . . drew her humid train aslope,
Crankling her banks.
J. Philips.
Crankle Cran"kle intransitive verb To bend, turn, or wind. Along the crankling path.
Drayton.
Crankle Cran"kle noun A bend or turn; a twist; a crinkle.
Crankness Crank"ness noun 1. (Nautical) Liability to be overset; - - said of a ship or other vessel. 2. Sprightliness; vigor; health.
Cranky Crank"y adjective 1. Full of spirit; crank. 2. Addicted to crotchets and whims; unreasonable in opinions; crotchety. [ Colloq.]
3. Unsteady; easy to upset; crank.
Crannied Cran"nied adjective Having crannies, chinks, or fissures; as, a crannied wall. Tennyson.
Crannog Cran"nog (kr?n"n?g),
Cran"noge (kr?n"n?j) ,
noun [ From Celtic; confer Gael.
crann a tree.]
One of the stockaded islands in Scotland and Ireland which in ancient times were numerous in the lakes of both countries. They may be regarded as the very latest class of prehistoric strongholds, reaching their greatest development in early historic times, and surviving through the Middle Ages. See also Lake dwellings , under Lake . Encyc. Brit.
Cranny Cran"ny (krăn"nȳ)
noun ;
plural Crannies (- nĭz). [ French
cran notch, probably from Latin
crena (a doubful word).]
1. A small, narrow opening, fissure, crevice, or chink, as in a wall, or other substance. In a firm building, the cavities ought not to be filled with rubbish, but with brick or stone fitted to the crannies .
Dryden.
He peeped into every cranny .
Arbuthnot.
2. (Glass Making) A tool for forming the necks of bottles, etc.
Cranny Cran"ny intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Crannied (-n?d);
present participle & verbal noun Crannying .]
1. To crack into, or become full of, crannies. [ R.]
The ground did cranny everywhere.
Golding.
2. To haunt, or enter by, crannies. All tenantless, save to the crannying wind.
Byron.
Cranny Cran"ny adjective [ Perh. for
cranky . See
Crank ,
adjective ]
Quick; giddy; thoughtless. [ Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.
Crantara Cran·ta"ra noun [ Gael.
cranntara .]
The fiery cross, used as a rallying signal in the Highlands of Scotland.
Crants Crants (krănts)
noun [ Confer Dutch
krans , G.
kranz .]
A garland carried before the bier of a maiden. [ Obsolete]
Yet here she is allowed her virgin crants , Her maiden strewments.
Shak.
Crap Crap (krăp)
noun In the game of craps, a first throw of the dice in which the total is two, three, or twelve, in which case the caster loses.
Crap shooting Crap shooting Same as Craps .
Crapaud Cra·paud" noun [ Written also
crapawd ,
crapald ,
crepaud , etc.] [ French
crapaud .]
1. A toad. [ Obsolete]
2. (
Pronounced krȧ`pō")
As a proper name, Johnny Crapaud , or Crapaud , a nickname for a Frenchman.
Crapaudine Crap"au·dine adjective [ French,
noun ]
(Architecture) Turning on pivots at the top and bottom; -- said of a door.
Crapaudine Crap"au·dine noun [ French]
(Far.) An ulcer on the coronet of a horse. Bailey.
Crape Crape (krāp)
noun [ French
crêpe , from Latin
crispus curled, crisped. See
Crisp .]
A thin, crimped stuff, made of raw silk gummed and twisted on the mill. Black crape is much used for mourning garments, also for the dress of some clergymen. A saint in crape is twice a saint in lawn.
Pope.
Crape myrtle (Botany) ,
a very ornamental shrub ( Lagerströmia Indica ) from the East Indies, often planted in the Southern United States. Its foliage is like that of the myrtle, and the flower has wavy crisped petals. --
Oriental crape .
See Canton crape .
Crape Crape transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Craped (krāpt);
present participle & verbal noun Craping .] [ French
crêper , from Latin
crispare to curl, crisp, from
crispus . See
Crape ,
noun ]
To form into ringlets; to curl; to crimp; to friz; as, to crape the hair; to crape silk. The hour for curling and craping the hair.
Mad. D'Arblay.
Crapefish Crape"fish` noun Salted codfish hardened by pressure. Kane.
Crapnel Crap"nel noun A hook or drag; a grapnel.
Crappie Crap"pie noun (Zoology) A kind of fresh-water bass of the genus Pomoxys , found in the rivers of the Southern United States and Mississippi valley. There are several species. [ Written also
croppie .]
Crapple Crap"ple noun [ See
Graple .]
A claw. [ Obsolete]
Craps Craps noun A gambling game with dice. [ Local, U.S.]
Crapula Crap"u·la noun [ Latin
crapula intoxication.]
Same as Crapulence .
Crapulence Crap"u·lence noun The sickness occasioned by intemperance; surfeit. Bailey.
Crapulent Crap"u·lent adjective [ Latin
crapulentus ,
crapulosus : confer F.
crapuleux .]
Surcharged with liquor; sick from excessive indulgence in liquor; drunk; given to excesses. [ R.]
Crapy Crap"y adjective Resembling crape.
Crare Crare noun [ Old French
craier ,
creer ,
croyer , ship of war, Late Latin
craiera ,
creyera , perhaps from German
krieger warrior, or Dutch
krijger .]
A slow unwieldy trading vessel. [ Obsolete] [ Written also
crayer ,
cray , and
craie .]
Shak.
Crase Crase transitive verb [ See
Craze .]
To break in pieces; to crack. [ Obsolete] "The pot was
crased ."
Chaucer.
Crash Crash (krăsh> )
transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Crashed (krăsht);
present participle & verbal noun Crashing .] [ Middle English
crashen , the same word as
crasen to break, English
craze . See
Craze .]
To break in pieces violently; to dash together with noise and violence. [ R.]
He shakt his head, and crasht his teeth for ire.
Fairfax.
Crash Crash intransitive verb 1. To make a loud, clattering sound, as of many things falling and breaking at once; to break in pieces with a harsh noise. Roofs were blazing and walls crashing in every part of the city.
Macaulay.
2. To break with violence and noise; as, the chimney in falling crashed through the roof.
Crash Crash noun 1. A loud, sudden, confused sound, as of many things falling and breaking at once. The wreck of matter and the crash of worlds.
Addison.
2. Ruin; failure; sudden breaking down, as of a business house or a commercial enterprise.
Crash Crash noun [ Latin
crassus coarse. See
Crass .]
Coarse, heavy, narrow linen cloth, used esp. for towels.
Crashing Crash"ing noun The noise of many things falling and breaking at once. There shall be . . . a great crashing from the hills.
Zeph. i. 10.
Crasis Cra"sis noun [ Late Latin , temperament, from Greek ............, from ............ to mix.]
1. (Medicine) A mixture of constituents, as of the blood; constitution; temperament. 2. (Gram.) A contraction of two vowels (as the final and initial vowels of united words) into one long vowel, or into a diphthong; synæresis; as, cogo for coago .
Craspedota Cras`pe·do"ta noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ............ to be bordered or edged.]
(Zoology) The hydroid or naked-eyed medusæ. See Hydroidea .
Craspedote Cras"pe·dote adjective (Zoology) Of or pertaining to the Craspedota.
Crass Crass adjective [ Latin
crassus thick, fat, gross, probably orig., closely woven. See
Grease animal fat, and confer
Crate ,
Hurdle .]
Gross; thick; dense; coarse; not elaborated or refined. "
Crass and fumid exhalations."
Sir. T. Browne. "
Crass ignorance"
Cudworth.
Crassament Cras"sa·ment (kr?s"s?-m
e nt),
Cras`sa*men"tum (-m?n"t?m) noun [ Latin crassamentum , from crassare to make thick. See Crass , adjective ] A semisolid mass or clot, especially that formed in coagulation of the blood.
Crassiment Cras"si·ment noun See Crassament .
Crassitude Cras"si·tude noun [ Latin
crassitudo .]
Grossness; coarseness; thickness; density. Bacon.
Crassness Crass"ness noun Grossness. [ Obsolete]
Glanvill.
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