Related Searches
Nearby Words
Synonyms

craters

 [krey-ter]   Origin

cra·ter

   [krey-ter] noun, verb
noun
1.
the cup-shaped depression or cavity on the surface of the earth or other heavenly body marking the orifice of a volcano.
2.
Also called impact crater, meteorite crater. (on the surface of the earth, moon, etc.) a bowl-shaped depression with a raised rim, formed by the impact of a meteoroid. Compare astrobleme.
3.
Astronomy. (on the surface of the moon) a circular or almost circular area having a depressed floor, almost always containing a central mountain and usually completely enclosed by walls that are often higher than those of a walled plain; ring formation; ring. Compare walled plain.
4.
the bowllike orifice of a geyser.
5.
the hole or pit in the ground where a bomb, shell, or military mine has exploded.
EXPAND
6.
Electricity. the cavity formed in a positive carbon electrode by an electric arc.
7.
Greek and Roman Antiquity. krater.
8.
Metalworking. a depression at the end of a bead produced by welding.
9.
genitive Cra·te·ris  [krey-teer-is] . (initial capital letter) Astronomy. the Cup, a small southern constellation west of Corvus and north of Hydra.
COLLAPSE
verb (used with object)
10.
to make craters in: Bombs had cratered the landscape.
11.
Slang.
a.
to cancel, abandon, or cast aside: to crater the new project.
b.
to destroy or ruin: One more disappointment won't crater me.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Craters is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
verb (used without object)
12.
to form a crater or craters: The surface of the concrete cratered and cracked under the repeated impacts.
Origin:
1605–15; < Latin < Greek krātḗr mixing bowl, literally, mixer, equivalent to krā- (base of kerannýnai to mix) + -tēr agentive suffix; compare crasis

Related forms
cra·ter·al, cra·ter·ous, adjective
cra·ter·like, adjective
in·ter·cra·ter, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To craters
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

crater
1613, from Gk. krater "bowl for mixing wine with water," from kera- "to mix." used in L. for bowl-shaped mouth of a volcano. Applied to features of the Moon since 1860.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

crater cra·ter (krā'tər)
n.
A circular depression or pit in the surface of a tissue or body part.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
crater   (krā'tər)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. A bowl-shaped depression at the top of a volcano or at the mouth of a geyser. Volcanic craters can form because of magma explosions in which a large amount of lava is thrown out from a volcano, leaving a hole, or because the roof of rock over an underground magma pool collapses after the magma has flowed away.

  2. A shallow, bowl-shaped depression in a surface, formed by an explosion or by the impact of a body, such as a meteorite.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary

crater definition


  1. n.
    an acne scar. : Walter was always sort of embarrassed about his craters.
  2. in.
    to collapse and go down as with a falling stock price. : The stock cratered and probably won't recover for a year or two.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Partners:WordBloglinesCitysearchThe Daily BeastAsk AnswersAsk KidsLife123SendoriThesaurus
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT
How many words do you know? FIND OUT