crater

See also Crater, cráter, cratur, craytur, and craythur

English

Etymology 1

First coined 1613, from Latin crater (“basin”), from Ancient Greek κρατήρ (kratēr, “mixingbowl, wassail-bowl”), from κράμα (krama, “mixture”), from κεράννυμι (kerannumi, “to mix, to mingle”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈkɹeɪ.tə(ɹ)/, X-SAMPA: /"kreI.t@(r)/
• (US) IPA: /ˈkɹeɪ.tɚ/, X-SAMPA: /"kreI.t@`/
• Rhymes: -eɪtə(r)

Noun

crater (plural craters)

1. (astronomy) A hemispherical pit created by the impact of a meteorite or other object.
2. (geology) The basinlike opening or mouth of a volcano, through which the chief eruption comes; similarly, the mouth of a geyser, about which a cone of silica is often built up.
3. (informal) The pit left by the explosion of a mine or bomb.
4. (informal) Any large, roughly circular depression or hole.

Synonyms

• (astronomy): astrobleme
• (geology): caldera

Translations

astronomy: hemispherical pit

• Arabic: فوهة البركان (ar) (fawwahat al-burkaan) f
• Bulgarian: кратер (bg) (krater) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: (impact crater) 撞擊坑 (cmn), 撞击坑 (cmn) (zhuàngjī-kēng)

• Czech: kráter (cs) m
• Dutch: krater (nl) m
• Finnish: kraatteri (fi)
• French: cratère (fr) m
• German: Krater (de) m
• Greek: κρατήρας (el) (kratíras) m

• Hebrew: מכתש (makhtesh) m
• Italian: cratere (it) m
• Japanese: クレーター (ja) (kurētā)
• Manx: towl (gv) m
• Norwegian: krater (no) n
• Russian: кратер (ru) (kráter) m
• Slovene: krater (sl) m
• Spanish: cráter (es) m
• Swedish: krater (sv) c, nedslagskrater (sv) c
• Ukrainian: кратер (uk) (kráter) m

geology: opening of a volcano

• Arabic: فوهة البركان (ar) (fawwahat al-burkaan) f
• Bulgarian: кратер (bg) (krater) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 火山口 (cmn) (huǒshānkǒu), 噴火口 (cmn), 喷火口 (cmn) (pēnhuǒkǒu)

• Czech: kráter (cs) m
• Finnish: kraatteri (fi)
• French: cratère (fr) m
• German: Krater (de) m
• Greek: κρατήρας (el) (kratíras) m

• Italian: cratere (it) m
• Japanese: クレーター (ja) (kurētā), 噴火口 (ja) (ふんかこう, funkakō)
• Latin: crātēr (la) m
• Norwegian: krater (no) n
• Russian: кратер (ru) (kráter) m, жерло (ru) (žerló) n
• Slovene: krater (sl) m
• Spanish: cráter (es) m
• Swedish: krater (sv) c, vulkankrater (sv) c
• Ukrainian: кратер (uk) (kráter) m

pit left by an explosion

• Arabic: فوهة البركان (ar) (fawwahat al-burkaan) f
• Bulgarian: яма (bg) (jama) f, кратер (bg) (krater) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 彈坑 (cmn), 弹坑 (cmn) (dànkēng)

• Czech: kráter (cs) m
• French: cratère (fr) m
• German: Krater (de) m
• Greek: κρατήρας (el) (kratíras) m

• Hebrew: מכתש (makhtesh) m
• Italian: cratere (it) m
• Japanese: クレーター (ja) (kurētā)
• Norwegian: krater (no) n
• Russian: кратер (ru) (kráter) m
• Slovene: krater (sl) m
• Swedish: krater (sv) c
• Ukrainian: кратер (uk) (kráter) m

Verb

crater (third-person singular simple present craters, present participle cratering, simple past and past participle cratered)

1. To collapse catastrophically; implode; hollow out; to become devastated or completely destroyed.

   The economy is about to crater. -- Attributed by David Letterman to Sen. John McCain. NYTimes blog

2. (snowboarding) To crash or fall.

   He cratered into that snow bank about five seconds after his first lesson.

Etymology 2

Possibly a diminutive of cratur (dialect form of creature).

Pronunciation

• (Ireland) IPA: /ˈkɹeː.təɹ/

Noun

crater (plural craters)

1. (Ireland, informal, UK, dialect) A term of endearment, a dote, a wretched thing.

   1843 - I then had the two best tarriers beneath the canopy; this poor crater is their daughter," and he patted the dog's head affectionately.
   William Hamilton Maxwell, Wild Sports of the West: With Legendary Tales, and Local Sketches , Publisher R. Bentley, page 77,

   1859 - She is a charming crater; I would venture to say that, if I was not her father.
   The British Drama: A Collection of the Most Esteemed Tragedies, Comedies ...

   1872 Thomas Hardy "Under the Greenwood Tree"

   "Then why not stop for fellow-craters -- going to thy own father's house too, as we be, and knowen us so well?"

Usage notes

This term is still commonly used in speech but rarely appears in modern writing.

See also craterin

Anagrams

• carter, Carter
• tracer

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Latin

Alternative forms

• cratera

Etymology

From the romanized form of the Ancient Greek (Doric) κρατήρ (krater, “mixingbowl, wassail-bowl”) (Ionic) κρητήρ (kreter), from "to mix, mingle", from κεράννυμι (kerannumi, “to mix, to mingle, to blend”)

Noun

crātēr (genitive crātēris); m, third declension

1. A basin or bowl for water or for mixing.
2. The opening of a volcano.

Inflection

Number	Singular	Plural
nominative	crātēr	crātērēs
genitive	crātēris	crātērum
dative	crātērī	crātēribus
accusative	crātērem	crātērēs
ablative	crātēre	crātēribus
vocative	crātēr	crātērēs