crux
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Crux
Contents
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Latin crux (“cross, wooden frame for execution”), from the Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, to bend”). Compare cross.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
crux (plural cruxes or cruces)
- The basic, central, or essential point or feature.
- The crux of her argument was that the roadways needed repair before anything else could be accomplished.
- The critical or transitional moment or issue, a turning point.
- 1993, Laurence M. Porter, "Real Dreams, Literary Dreams, and the Fantastic in Literature", pages 32-47 in Carol Schreier Rupprecht (ed.) The Dream and the Text: Essays on Literature and Language.
- The mad certitude of the ogre, Abel Tiffauges, that he stands at the crux of history and that he will be able to raise Prussia "to a higher power" (p. 180), contrasts sharply with the anxiety and doubt attendant upon most modern literary dreams.
- 1993, Laurence M. Porter, "Real Dreams, Literary Dreams, and the Fantastic in Literature", pages 32-47 in Carol Schreier Rupprecht (ed.) The Dream and the Text: Essays on Literature and Language.
- A puzzle or difficulty.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Dr. Sheridan to this entry?)
- The perpetual crux of New Testament chronologists. — Strauss.
- The hardest point of a climb.
- 1973, Pat Armstrong, "Klondike Fever: Seventy Years Too Late", in Backpacker, Autumn 1973, page 84:
- The final half-mile was the crux of the climb.
- 2004, Craig Luebben, Rock Climbing: Mastering Basic Skills, The Mountaineers Books, ISBN 9780898867435, page 179:
- Most pitches have a distinct crux, or tough spot; some have multiple cruxes. […] ¶ Climb efficiently on the "cruiser" sections to stay fresh for the cruxes.
- 2009, R. J. Secor, The High Sierra: Peaks, Passes, and Trails, Third Edition, The Mountaineers Books, ISBN 9780898869712, page 51:
- Continue climbing the groove; the crux is passing some vegetation on the second pitch.
- 1973, Pat Armstrong, "Klondike Fever: Seventy Years Too Late", in Backpacker, Autumn 1973, page 84:
- (heraldry) A cross on a coat of arms.
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
central or essential point
critical or transitional moment
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puzzle or difficulty
(heraldry) cross on a coat of arms — see cross
Latin[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From the Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, to bend”).[1] Possible cognate with Latin circus and curvus.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
crux f (genitive crucis); third declension
- wooden frame on which criminals were crucified, especially a cross
- (derogatory) gallows bird; one who deserves to be hanged
- (figuratively) torture; misery
Inflection[edit]
| Number | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | crux | crucēs |
| genitive | crucis | crucum |
| dative | crucī | crucibus |
| accusative | crucem | crucēs |
| ablative | cruce | crucibus |
| vocative | crux | crucēs |
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Descendants[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Pokorny 611
Categories:
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- Requests for quotation/Dr. Sheridan
- en:Heraldic charges
- en:Climbing
- Latin terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Latin terms with IPA pronunciation
- Latin terms with audio links
- Latin lemmas
- Latin nouns
- Latin derogatory terms
- Latin third declension nouns
