crescent

1 of 3

noun

cres·cent ˈkre-sᵊnt

: the moon at any stage between new moon and first quarter and between last quarter and the succeeding new moon when less than half of the illuminated hemisphere is visible

: the figure of the moon at such a stage defined by a convex (see convex sense 1a) and a concave (see concave entry 1 sense 2) edge

: something shaped like a crescent

The crescent is used as the symbol of Islam.

crescentic

kre-ˈsen-tik

krə-

adjective

crescent

2 of 3

adjective

: marked by an increase : increasing

"My powers are crescent … "—

William Shakespeare

Crescent

3 of 3

trademark

Cres·cent ˈkre-sᵊnt

—used for an adjustable open-end wrench

Did you know?

You probably know "crescent" as the shape of a moon that is less than half-illuminated. These days, "crescent" is generally used of either a waxing or waning moon, but that wasn't always the case. Originally, it referred only to the increasing illumination phase that immediately follows the new moon. That original meaning nicely reflects the meaning of the word's Latin ancestor crescere, which means "to grow." The meaning of "crescere" also shines through when we use "crescent" as an adjective meaning "increasing" or "growing." English speakers have been using "crescent" in this way since the 16th century.

Examples of crescent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The moon will be in the waxing crescent phase Sunday night with 23.4% of moonlight present to the naked eye, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac. —

Bebe Hodges, The Enquirer, 11 May 2024 Also, the youngest member of the family, Sophia Petrov, will be doing aerial acrobatics on a crescent moon, high above the stands. —

Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 10 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for crescent

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crescent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latinization of Middle English cressant, cressaunt, borrowed from Anglo-French, noun derivative from present participle of creistre "to increase, grow," going back to Latin crēscere "to come into existence, increase in size or numbers," perhaps going back to Indo-European *kreh₁- "become stronger, increase," whence also Slavic *krějǫ, *krějati (whence Old Czech křáti, kříti "to recover, regain strength," Russian dialect krejátʼ "to convalesce, get well," Ukrainian krijáty "to regain strength," Bulgarian kréja "weaken, wither"—sense perhaps by loss of an earlier privative prefix)

Note: Latin crēscere and creāre (see create entry 1) have traditionally been linked to Indo-European *ḱerh₃- "feed, satisfy" (see ceres), but this has recently been questioned on both morphological and semantic grounds. Cf. Michiel de Vaan, Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the Other Italic Languages, Leiden, 2008; Oleg Trubačev, Ètimologičeskij slovarʼ slavjanskix jazykov: praslavjanskij leksičeskij fond, Vypusk 12 (Moscow, 1985), pp. 130-31; and in particular Eugen Hill, "Lateinisch crēscō 'wachsen' etymologisch: urslavisch *krějǫ 'genesen', litauisch šeriù 'füttern' oder armenisch serem 'erzeugen'?", International Journal of Diachronic Linguistics and Linguistic Reconstruction, vol. 3 (2006), pp. 187-209, where the issues are thoroughly discussed.

Adjective

borrowed from Latin crēscent-, crescēns, present participle of crēscere "to come into existence, increase in size or numbers" — more at crescent entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1574, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of crescent was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Crescent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crescent. Accessed 29 May. 2024.

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Kids Definition

crescent

noun

cres·cent

ˈkres-ᵊnt

: the shape of the visible moon during about the first week after a new moon or the last week before the next new moon

: a curved figure that tapers to two points like a crescent moon

: something shaped like a crescent

Medical Definition

crescent

noun

cres·cent ˈkres-ᵊnt

: a crescent-shaped anatomical structure or section

: the gametocyte of the falciparum malaria parasite that is shaped like a crescent and constitutes a distinguishing character of malignant tertian malaria

Last Updated: 17 May 2024 - Updated example sentences

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crescent

noun

adjective

trademark

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Examples of crescent in a Sentence

Word History

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Dictionary Entries Near crescent

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition