noun
crescent
KREHZ-uhnt
noun
1
The curved shape of the moon when it is partly illuminated, narrowing to points at each end.
"A thin crescent moon hung over the harbour."
2
Anything with this curved shape, including a curved pastry or a curved street of houses.
"They had croissants — literally "crescents" — for breakfast."
"The family lived on a quiet crescent lined with oak trees."
How to Use Crescent
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe curved sliver shape of a young moon, or anything shaped like it.
Common pairings
crescent moon
crescent-shaped
Word Forms
crescented past tense, crescents plural, crescents singular
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Etymology
From Old French creissant, "growing", from Latin crescens, present participle of crescere, "to grow" — a doublet of "croissant". The shape refers to the moon in its waxing phase.