English Explanatory Dictionary

crux

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The basic, central, or essential point or feature.
  2. The critical or transitional moment or issue, a turning point.
  3. A puzzle or difficulty.
  4. The hardest point of a climb.
  5. A cross on a coat of arms.
name
  1. A distinctive winter constellation of the southern sky, shaped like a cross. It appears in the flags of several countries in Oceania.

Pronunciation

/kɹʌks/ /kɹʊks/ /kɾʌks/ /krəks/ en-us-crux.ogg /kɹɐks/ en-au-crux.ogg

Word forms

crux cruxes cruces

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin crux (“cross, wooden frame for execution”), possibly from the Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, to bend”). Doublet of cross and crouch (“cross”).

Synonyms

core essence heart gist bowels sum brass tacks crux drift guts gravamen heart and soul heartstring heartstrings inwardness kernel marrow meat moral of the story nitty-gritty nub nuts and bolts pith punctum saliens quintessence soul spirit stuff substance tenor enigma puzzle riddle conundrum Southern Cross

Related words

cross crucial crucible crucifix crucify

Derived words

crux ansata crux decussata crux gammata crux ordinaria crux simplex cruxy Acrux Becrux Cru Crucis Gacrux
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