crescent

[kres-uh nt] /ˈkrɛs ənt/
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.
  1. the figure of the moon in its first or last quarter, resembling a segment of a ring tapering to points at the ends.
  2. 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.
  1. a curved street, often having solid façades of unified architectural design.
  2. 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; < Latin crēscent- (stem of crēscēns) present participle of crēscere to grow (see create, -esce); replacing Middle English cressaunt < Anglo-French < Latin as above
Related forms
crescentic
[kri-sen-tik] /krɪˈsɛn tɪk/ (Show IPA), adjective
subcrescentic, adjective
Examples from the web for crescent
  • Or look at the hippocampus, the crescent-shaped center of long-term memory.
  • Fold the dough around the filling to form a crescent and pinch the edges to seal them tight.
  • They are curved, being blunt at the apex and sharp in the crescent.
  • There was the tube of crescent rolls, the package of hot dogs, the cheese slices.
  • As the waters receded, they left behind a great crescent of chalk, rich with minerals and sea fossils.
  • As sunlight bounces off the moon's crescent edge, it highlights the mysterious misty plume at the southern pole.
  • The no voters form a slim crescent ringing its western and south-western shores.
  • And as the crescent of the moon waxes great in the sky, so did she increase in sons and daughters.
  • The bright crescent shows where sunlight was being scattered through the planet's upper atmosphere.
  • Most sharks keep their hardware concealed behind their fixed crescent frowns.
British Dictionary definitions for crescent

crescent

/ˈkrɛsənt; -zənt/
noun
1.
the biconcave shape of the moon in its first or last quarters
2.
any shape or object resembling this
3.
(mainly Brit)
  1. a crescent-shaped street, often lined with houses of the same style
  2. (capital when part of a name): Pelham Crescent
4.
(heraldry) a crescent moon, used as the cadency mark of a second son
5.
(often capital) the crescent
  1. the emblem of Islam or Turkey
  2. Islamic or Turkish power
adjective
6.
(archaic or poetic) increasing or growing
Derived Forms
crescentic (krəˈsɛntɪk) adjective
Word Origin
C14: from Latin crescēns increasing, from crescere to grow
Word Origin and History for crescent
n.

late 14c., "crescent-shaped ornament," from Anglo-French cressaunt, from Old French creissant "crescent of the moon" (12c., Modern French croissant), from Latin crescentum (nominative crescens), present participle of crescere "come forth, spring up, grow, thrive, swell, increase in numbers or strength," from PIE root *ker- "to grow" (cf. Latin Ceres, goddess of agriculture, creare "to bring forth, create, produce;" Greek kouros "boy," kore "girl;" Armenian serem "bring forth," serim "be born").

Applied in Latin to the waxing moon, luna crescens, but subsequently in Latin mistaken to refer to the shape, not the stage. The original Latin sense is preserved in crescendo. A badge or emblem of the Turkish sultans (probably chosen for its suggestion of "increase"); figurative sense of "Muslim political power" is from 1580s, 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.

crescent in Medicine

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.
crescent in Science
crescent
  (krěs'ənt)   
Partly but less than half illuminated. Used to describe the Moon or a planet. Compare gibbous.
Encyclopedia Article for crescent

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

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