/
ˈkrɛz(ə)nt,
-s-/
n.
- the curved shape of the waxing or waning moon.
- a thing which has the shape of a single curve, especially when broad in the centre and tapering to a point at each end.
▸chiefly Brit. a street or terrace of houses forming an arc.
-
(the Crescent)
chiefly historical the political power of Islam or of the Ottoman Empire.
adj.
- having the shape of a crescent:
a crescent moon.
- literary growing, increasing, or developing.
Derivative
- crescentic
/-ˈsɛntɪk/
adj.
Etymology
ME cressant, from OFr. creissant, from L. crescere ‘grow’; sense 3 is from the crescent-shaped emblem of Islam or Turkey.