noun, plural crux·es, cru·ces 
[kroo-seez] .
[kroo-seez] . 
siz1.
a vital, basic, decisive, or pivotal point: The crux of the trial was his whereabouts at the time of the murder.
2.
a cross.
3.
something that torments by its puzzling nature; a perplexing difficulty.
Origin:
1635–45; < Latin: stake, scaffold, or cross used in executions, torment; figurative senses perhaps < Neo-Latin crux (interpretum) (commentators') torment, a difficult passage in a text; cf. crucial
1635–45; < Latin: stake, scaffold, or cross used in executions, torment; figurative senses perhaps < Neo-Latin crux (interpretum) (commentators') torment, a difficult passage in a text; cf. crucial
Synonyms
1. essence, heart, core, gist.
1. essence, heart, core, gist.
00:10
Crux
is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To CRUX
Collins
World English Dictionary
crux (krʌks) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl cruxes, cruces | |
| 1. | a vital or decisive stage, point, etc (often in the phrase the crux of the matter) |
| 2. | a baffling problem or difficulty |
| 3. | mountaineering the most difficult and often decisive part of a climb or pitch |
| 4. | a rare word for cross |
| [C18: from Latin: cross] | |
| Crux (krʌks) | |
| —n , Latin genitive Crucis | |
| the more formal name for the Southern Cross | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
crux
1814, "cross," from L. crux "cross." Figurative use for "a central difficulty," is older, from 1718; perhaps from L. crux interpretum "a point in a text that is impossible to interpret," in which the literal sense is something like "crossroads of interpreters."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
crux (krŭks, kr&oobreve;ks)
n. pl. crux·es or cru·ces (kr&oomacr;'sēz)
A cross or a crosslike structure.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
crux
constellation lying at about 12 hours 30 minutes right ascension (the coordinate on the celestial sphere analogous to longitude on the Earth) and 60 south declination (angular distance south of the celestial equator), now visible only from south of about 30 north latitude (i.e., the latitude of North Africa and Florida). It appears on the flags of Australia, New Zealand, and Samoa (formerly Western Samoa)
Learn more about Crux with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
