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Crescent

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cres⋅cent

  [kres-uhnt]
Use Crescent in a Sentence
–noun
1. a shape resembling a segment of a ring tapering to points at the ends.
2. something, as a roll or cookie, having this shape.
3. Astronomy.
a. the figure of the moon in its first or last quarter, resembling a segment of a ring tapering to points at the ends.
b. the similar figure of Mercury and Venus on either side of inferior conjunction, when seen through a telescope.
4. the emblem of Turkey or of Islam.
5. the power, religion, or civilization of Turkey or of Islam.
6. Also called Chinese crescent, Chinese pavilion, jingling Johnny, pavillon Chinois, Turkish crescent. a musical percussion instrument of Turkish origin, consisting of a pole bearing a crescent-shaped metal plate, topped with a pavillon, and hung with small bells.
7. Chiefly British.
a. a curved street, often having solid façades of unified architectural design.
b. the curve or curved portion of a street.
8. Heraldry. a representation of a crescent moon, horns upward unless otherwise specified, used as the cadency mark of a second son.
–adjective
9. shaped like a crescent.
10. increasing; growing.
Origin:
1350–1400; < L crēscent- (s. of crēscēns) prp. of crēscere to grow (see create, -esce ); r. ME cressaunt < AF < L as above

Related forms:
cres⋅cen⋅tic  [kri-sen-tik] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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cres·cent   (krěs'ənt)   
n.  

  1. The figure of the moon as it appears in its first or last quarter, 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.

adj.  

  1. Crescent-shaped.

  2. Waxing, as the moon; increasing.


[Middle English cressaunt, from Anglo-Norman, variant of Old French creissant, from present participle of creistre, to grow, from Latin crēscere; see ker-2 in Indo-European roots.]
cres·cen'tic (krə-sěn'tĭk) adj.
Cres·cent   (krěs'ənt)   
A trademark for an adjustable open-end wrench.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

crescent 
1399, from Anglo-Fr. cressaunt, from O.Fr. creissant, from L. crescentum (nom. crescens), pp. of crescere "come forth, spring up, grow, thrive," from PIE base *ker- "to grow" (cf. L. Ceres, goddess of agriculture, creare "to bring forth, create, produce;" Gk. kouros "boy," kore "girl;" Arm. serem "bring forth," serim "be born"). First applied to the waxing moon, luna crescens, but subsequently mistaken to mean the shape, not the stage. A badge or emblem of the Turkish sultans (probably chosen for its suggestion of "increase"); figurative sense of "Muslim political power" is from 1589, but modern writers often falsely associate it with the Saracens of the Crusades or the Moors of Spain. Horns of the waxing moon are on the viewer's left side; those of the waning moon are on his right. Croissant is the modern Fr. form of the word. The original L. sense is preserved in crescendo, borrowed 1776 as a musical phrase from It., from L. crescendo, abl. of gerund of crescere.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: cres·cent
Pronunciation: 'kres-&nt
Function: noun
1 : a crescent-shaped anatomical structure or section
2 : the gametocyte of the falciparum malaria parasite that is shaped like a crescent and constitutes a distinguishing character of malignant tertian malaria
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

crescent cres·cent (krěs'ənt)
n.
Something having concave and convex edges terminating in points. adj.
Crescent-shaped.

cres·cen'tic (krə-sěn'tĭk) adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia

crescent

political, military, and religious emblem of the Byzantine and Turkish empires and, later and more generally, of all Islamic countries.

Learn more about crescent with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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