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crescent.

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.

8 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈkɹɛz.ənt/Received-Pronunciation/ˈkɹɛs.ənt/Received-Pronunciation/ˈkɹɛs.ənt/General-American/ˈkɹɛz.ənt/General-American
  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: A curved pastry.

  3. Something shaped like a crescent, especially: A curved street, often presenting a continuous façade, as of row houses.

  4. Something shaped like a crescent, especially: A representation of a crescent, used as a symbol of Islam.

    The Turkish flag features a white star and crescent on red base.
  5. Something shaped like a crescent, especially: 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.

  6. A crescent spanner.

    New-Zealand
  7. Any of three orders of knighthood conferred upon foreigners to whom Turkey might be indebted for valuable services.

    historical
  8. A crescentspot butterfly.

Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Anglo-Norman cressauntbor. Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti Proto-Indo-European *ḱreh₁-sḱéti Latin crēscō Latin crēscentem Old French creissantbor. Middle English cressaunt English crescent 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.

adj/ˈkɹɛz.ənt/Received-Pronunciation/ˈkɹɛs.ənt/Received-Pronunciation/ˈkɹɛs.ənt/General-American/ˈkɹɛz.ənt/General-American
  1. Marked by an increase; waxing, like the moon.

    dated · literary · not-comparable · rare
  2. Shaped like a crescent.

    not-comparable
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Anglo-Norman cressauntbor. Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti Proto-Indo-European *ḱreh₁-sḱéti Latin crēscō Latin crēscentem Old French creissantbor. Middle English cressaunt English crescent 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.

verb/ˈkɹɛz.ənt/Received-Pronunciation/ˈkɹɛs.ənt/Received-Pronunciation/ˈkɹɛs.ənt/General-American/ˈkɹɛz.ənt/General-American
  1. To form a crescent shape.

    transitive
  2. To decorate with crescents.

    transitive
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Anglo-Norman cressauntbor. Proto-Indo-European *ḱer- Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti Proto-Indo-European *ḱreh₁-sḱéti Latin crēscō Latin crēscentem Old French creissantbor. Middle English cressaunt English crescent 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.

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Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.