# crescent
## English
### Alternative forms

* (curved street): cres. (abbreviation)

### Etymology

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.

### Pronunciation

* (UK) IPA: /ˈkɹɛ.zənt/, /ˈkɹɛ.sənt/
* Audio (Southern England):(file)
* (US) IPA: /ˈkɹɛ.sənt/, /ˈkɹɛ.zənt/
* Rhymes: -ɛsənt, -ɛzənt

### Noun

crescent (plural crescents)
* 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.
* Something shaped like a crescent, especially:
** A curved pastry.
    Synonyms: crescent roll, croissant
    Hyponyms: kipfel, rogalik
** A curved street, often presenting a continuous façade, as of row houses.
** (Islam) A representation of a crescent, used as a symbol of Islam.
    The Turkish flag features a white star and crescent on red base.
** (heraldry) The emblem of the waxing moon with horns directed upward, when used in a coat of arms; often used as a mark of cadency to distinguish a second son and his descendants.
* (New Zealand) A crescent spanner.
* (historical) Any of three orders of knighthood conferred upon foreigners to whom Turkey might be indebted for valuable services.
** 1880, Elizabeth Stone, Sebastiani receives publicly the Sultan's thanks, and is decorated with the Order of the Crescent:Sebastiani receives publicly the Sultan's thanks, and is decorated with the Order of the Crescent
* A crescentspot butterfly.

#### Derived terms

* crescentchest
* Crescent City
* crescent fresh
* crescentic
* crescentiform
* crescentlike
* crescent moon
* crescentoid
* crescent roll
* crescent-shaped
* Crescent Springs
* Crescent Valley
* crescentwise
* equicrescent
* Fertile Crescent
* Golden Crescent
* La Crescent
* Mornington Crescent
* Red Crescent
* semicrescent
* Turkish crescent
* yellow-crescent blister beetle

#### Translations
### Adjective

crescent (not comparable)
* (dated, rare) marked by an increase; waxing, like the Moon.
** c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (Second Quarto), London: […] I[ames] R[oberts] for N[icholas] L[ing] […], published 1604, →OCLC,: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, […]For a human being's vital functions, increasing, do not grow alone / In physical development and bulk, but as this "temple" [i.e., the body] waxes, / The inward operation of the mind and soul / Grows wide with them.
** 1835, Alfred Tennyson, “Locksley Hall”, in Poems. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Edward Moxon, […], published 1842, →OCLC:O, I see the crescent promise of my spirit hath not set.
** 1928, Edward A. Ross, World Drift, New York, London: The Century Co., page v:crescent problems which have to be faced by a large part of humanity
* Shaped like a crescent.
** 1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:Astarte, queen of heaven, with crescent horns.

#### Antonyms

* gibbous

#### Translations
### Verb

crescent (third-person singular simple present crescents, present participle crescenting, simple past and past participle crescented)
* (transitive) To form a crescent shape
** 1809, Anna Seward, “Letter VI. 195”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name):A dark wood crescents more than half the lawn
* (transitive) To decorate with crescents.

### References

* “crescent”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

## Latin
### Verb

crēscent
* third-person plural future active indicative of crēscō