crate
English
Etymology
From Dutch krat (“crate, large box, basket”), from Middle Dutch cratte (“basketware, mold”), from Old Dutch *kratta, *kratto (“basket”), from Proto-Germanic *kratjô, *krattijô (“basket”), from Proto-Indo-European *gred-, *gre(n)t- (“plaiting, wicker, basket, cradle”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to bind, twist, wind”). Cognate with West Frisian kret (“wheelbarrow”), German Krätze (“basket”), Old English cræt, ceart (“cart, wagon, chariot”), Old Norse kartr (“wagon”), modern English cart.
Alternatively from Latin crātis (“wickerwork”), perhaps from the same PIE root.[1]
Pronunciation
Noun
crate (plural crates)
- A large open box or basket, used especially to transport fragile goods. [from 1680s]
- Synonym: packing case
- (slang, mildly derogatory) A vehicle (car, aircraft, spacecraft, etc.) seen as unreliable.
- 1936, Joseph R. James, "More Gates Air Circus Antics" (Popular Aviation, November 1936)
- They shook the head of the unconscious pilot and when the latter opened his eyes, blinking wildly, the other members of the family lifted up the tail of the overturned crate sufficiently high enough to enable the dazed pilot, after releasing his belt, to fall out of the cockpit head first and disengage himself from the crack-up.
- 2010, Gillian Coleby, Knocking on the Moonlit Door (page 99)
- I will make this box of electronics and computer chips fly like no other spaceship has ever flown. Mission Control wanted to see what this crate could do.
- 1936, Joseph R. James, "More Gates Air Circus Antics" (Popular Aviation, November 1936)
- (programming) In the Rust programming language, a binary or library.
Derived terms
Translations
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Verb
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- (transitive) To put into a crate. [from 1871]
- (transitive) To keep in a crate.
References
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “crate”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Anagrams
Latin
Noun
(deprecated template usage) crāte
- English terms derived from Dutch
- English terms derived from Middle Dutch
- English terms derived from Old Dutch
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/eɪt
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English slang
- English derogatory terms
- en:Programming
- English transitive verbs
- en:Containers
- Latin non-lemma forms
- Latin noun forms