crew1
n.
[
treated as sing. or pl.]
- a group of people who work on and operate a ship, boat, aircraft, or train.
▸such a group other than the officers.
- informal, often derogatory a group of people.
v.
provide with a crew.
▸act as a member of a crew.
Derivative
- crewman n.
(pl. crewmen)
.
Etymology
ME, in sense ‘band of soldiers’: from OFr. creue ‘augmentation, increase’, fem. past part. of croistre ‘grow’, from L. crescere.