crescent

• (curved street): cres. (abbreviation)

From Middle English cressaunt, from Anglo-Norman cressaunt and Old French creissant (“crescent of the moon”) (French croissant), from Latin crēscēns, present active participle of crēscō (“arise, thrive”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱreh₁- (“to grow”). See Old Armenian սերիմ (serim, “be born”) and սերեմ (serem, “bring forth”), Ancient Greek κόρη (kórē, “girl”) and κούρος (koúros, “boy”), Latin creāre (“produce, create, bring forth”) and Ceres (“goddess of agriculture”). Doublet of croissant.

The pronunciation with /z/ is a comparatively recent innovation due to the influence of words such as pheasant and present.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkɹɛ.zənt/, /ˈkɹɛ.sənt/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈkɹɛ.sənt/, /ˈkɹɛ.zənt/
• Rhymes: -ɛsənt, -ɛzənt

crescent (plural crescents)

1. The figure of the moon as it appears between its first or last quarter and the new moon, with concave and convex edges terminating in points.
2. Something shaped like a crescent, especially:
   1. A curved pastry.
   2. A curved street, often presenting a continuous façade, as of row houses.
   3. (Islam) A representation of a crescent, used as a symbol of Islam.

      The Turkish flag features a white star and crescent on red base.

   4. (heraldry) The emblem of the waxing moon with horns directed upward, when used in a coat of arms; often used as a mark of cadency to distinguish a second son and his descendants.
3. (New Zealand) A crescent spanner.
4. (historical) Any of three orders of knighthood conferred upon foreigners to whom Turkey might be indebted for valuable services.
   • 1880, Elizabeth Stone, Sebastiani receives publicly the Sultan's thanks, and is decorated with the Order of the Crescent:

     Sebastiani receives publicly the Sultan's thanks, and is decorated with the Order of the Crescent

5. A crescentspot butterfly.

crescent (not comparable)

1. (dated, rare) marked by an increase; waxing, like the Moon.
   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (Second Quarto), London: […] I[ames] R[oberts] for N[icholas] L[ing] […], published 1604, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:

     For nature creſſant does not grovve alone / In thevvs and bulkes, but as this temple vvaxes, / The invvard ſervice of the minde and ſoule / Grovves vvide vvithal, […]

     For a human being's vital functions, increasing, do not grow alone / In physical development and bulk, but as this "temple" [i.e., the body] waxes, / The inward operation of the mind and soul / Grows wide with them.

   • 1835, Alfred Tennyson, “Locksley Hall”, in Poems. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Edward Moxon, […], published 1842, →OCLC:

     O, I see the crescent promise of my spirit hath not set.

   • 1928, Edward A. Ross, World Drift, New York, London: The Century Co., page v:

     crescent problems which have to be faced by a large part of humanity

2. Shaped like a crescent.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     Astarte, queen of heaven, with crescent horns.

• gibbous

crescent (third-person singular simple present crescents, present participle crescenting, simple past and past participle crescented)

1. (transitive) To form a crescent shape
   • 1809, Anna Seward, “Letter VI. 195”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name):

     A dark wood crescents more than half the lawn

2. (transitive) To decorate with crescents.

• “crescent”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

crēscent

1. third-person plural future active indicative of crēscō