Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

crescent

/ˈkɹɛs.ənt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.57 in modern English

Syllables: cres-cent
IPA: /ˈkɹɛs.ənt/

12

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

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.

noun

Something shaped like a crescent, especially:

noun

Something shaped like a crescent, especially:

noun

Something shaped like a crescent, especially:

noun

Something shaped like a crescent, especially:

noun

A crescent spanner.

New Zealand usage

noun

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

noun

A crescentspot butterfly.

Example Sentences

"The Turkish flag features a white star and crescent on red base."
"Sebastiani receives publicly the Sultan's thanks, and is decorated with the Order of the Crescent"
"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, […]"
"O, I see the crescent promise of my spirit hath not set."
"crescent problems which have to be faced by a large part of humanity"
"Astarte, queen of heaven, with crescent horns."

Etymology

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.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: *ḱer- (grow), cressaunt, creissant, crēscēns, *ḱer-

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkɹɛs.ənt/
British English: /ˈkɹɛz.ənt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

crescents (plural) cres. (alternative, abbreviation) crescents (present, singular) crescenting (participle, present) crescented (participle, past) crescented (past)

Derived Forms

crescentchest crescentic crescentiform crescentlike crescentoid crescentwise equicrescent semicrescent

Phrases

Crescent City crescent fresh Crescent Head crescent moon crescent roll crescent-shaped Crescent Springs Crescent Valley

Synonyms

crescent roll croissant crescent-shaped semilunar lunate

Antonyms

gibbous

Rhymes With

adolescent fluorescent incessant incandescent antidepressant iridescent convalescent depressant effervescent luminescent quiescent suppressant

Questions

How do you pronounce crescent?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɹɛs.ənt/.
What does crescent mean?: 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.
Where does crescent come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce crescent

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “crescent”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkɹɛs.ənt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “crescent”.
Repeat and practice — Say “crescent” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.