crux

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See also:Crux

English

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WOTD – 21 August 2009

Etymology

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FromLatincrux(“cross, wooden frame for execution”),possibly from theProto-Indo-European*(s)ker-(“to turn, to bend”).Doubletofcrossandcrouch(“cross”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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crux(pluralcruxesorcruces)

  1. The basic,central,oressentialpointor feature.
    Synonyms:core,gist;see alsoThesaurus:gist
    Thecruxof her argument was that the roadways needed repair before anything else could be accomplished.
  2. Thecriticalortransitionalmomentorissue,aturning point.
    • 1993,Laurence M. Porter, “Real Dreams, Literary Dreams, and the Fantastic in Literature”, in Carol Schreier Rupprecht, editor,The Dream and the Text: Essays on Literature and Language,pages32–47:
      The mad certitude of the ogre, Abel Tiffauges, that he stands at thecruxof 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.
    • 2024September 11,Richard Brody,““Winner” Takes Political Comedy Seriously”, inThe New Yorker‎[1]:
      The movie hits its dramaticcruxan hour in, whenReality[Winner],at work at the contractor’s facility in Georgia, discovers what she deems a tragic scandal.
  3. Apuzzleordifficulty.
    • 1775,Thomas Sheridan,Lectures on the Art of Reading:
      What I have advanced upon this species of verse will contribute to solve a poetical problem, thrown out by Dryden as acruxto his brethren
    • 1860,Marian Evans (translator),The Life of Jesus, Critically Examined(originally byDavid Strauss)
      The perpetualcruxof New Testament chronologists.
  4. (climbing)Thehardestpointof a climb.
    • 1907,The Alpine Journal‎[2],volume23:
      the realcruxof the climb was encountered
    • 1973,Pat Armstrong, "Klondike Fever: Seventy Years Too Late", inBackpacker,Autumn 1973, page 84:
      The final half-mile was thecruxof the climb.
    • 2004,Craig Luebben,Rock Climbing: Mastering Basic Skills,The Mountaineers Books,→ISBN,page179:
      Most pitches have a distinctcrux,or tough spot; some have multiplecruxes.[…]¶ Climb efficiently on the "cruiser" sections to stay fresh for thecruxes.
    • 2009,R. J. Secor,The High Sierra: Peaks, Passes, and Trails,Third Edition, The Mountaineers Books,→ISBN,page51:
      Continue climbing the groove; thecruxis passing some vegetation on the second pitch.
  5. (heraldry)Acrosson acoat of arms.

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • →French:crux

Translations

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Dutch

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Etymology

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Borrowed fromLatincruxorEnglishcrux,in the phrasecrux interpretum.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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cruxf(pluralcrucesorcruxen)

  1. crucialor otherwiseserious,difficultproblem

French

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Etymology

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BorrowedfromEnglishcrux.Doubletofcroix,croiseur,andcruiser.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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cruxm(pluralcrux)

  1. (climbing)crux(hardest point of a climb)

Latin

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LatinWikipediahas an article on:
Wikipediala

Etymology

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FromProto-Italic*kruksor*krukis(it is uncertain whether the original form was ani-stem), of unknown origin. Pokorny connectedProto-Indo-European*(s)ker-(“to turn, to bend”)with an assumed extension in*-k-;compare Latincircus(“circle”)andcurvus(“curve”).[1]This explanation suffers phonetic, morphological and semantic problems. A modern hypothesis connectsIrishcrúach(“heap, hill”),Gaulish*krouka(“summit”),Proto-Brythonic*krʉg(“small hill; pillar”),Old Norsehrúga(“heap, pile”),andProto-Germanic*hraukaz(“heap, pile”)and*hrugjaz(“back, spine, ridge”),pointing to Proto-Indo-European*krewk-(“~ heap, hill; back, spine?”),albeit with an unusual root structure and shaky semantics. Alternatively, a loanword from an unidentified orsubstratelanguage.[2]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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cruxf(genitivecrucis);third declension

  1. woodenframeon whichcriminalswerecrucified,especially across
  2. (derogatory)gallows bird;one whodeservesto behanged
  3. (figuratively)torture;misery
  4. cross(symbol)
    AveCruxalba―Hail thou whiteCross

Declension

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Third-declensionnoun.

singular plural
nominative crux crucēs
genitive crucis crucum
dative crucī crucibus
accusative crucem crucēs
ablative cruce crucibus
vocative crux crucēs

Derived terms

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Descendants

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Borrowings

References

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  • “crux”,inCharlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879)A Latin Dictionary,Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • “crux”,inCharlton T. Lewis (1891)An Elementary Latin Dictionary,New York: Harper & Brothers
  • cruxin Charles du Fresne du Cange’sGlossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis(augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
  • cruxinGaffiot, Félix (1934)Dictionnaire illustré latin-français,Hachette.
  • Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894)Latin Phrase-Book‎[3],London:Macmillan and Co.
    • to threaten some one with death, crucifixion, torture, war:minitari (minari) alicui mortem, crucem et tormenta, bellum
    • to crucify:in crucem agere, tollere aliquem
    • to crucify:cruci suffigere aliquem
  • “crux”,inHarry Thurston Peck, editor (1898),Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities,New York: Harper & Brothers
  • “crux”,inWilliam Smith et al., editor (1890),A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities,London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin
  1. ^Pokorny, Julius(1959) “611”,inIndogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch(in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag,page611
  2. ^De Vaan, Michiel(2008) “crux, -cis”, inEtymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages(Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill,→ISBN,pages147–148:“PIt. *kruk(-i)-?”
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