Cross

Cross

Definition: The device on which Jesus Christ was executed is referred to by most of Christendom as a cross. The expression is drawn from the Latin crux.

cross

  [kraws, kros] Show IPA noun, verb, adjective, -er,-est.

–noun

1.	a structure consisting essentially of an upright and a transverse piece, upon which persons were formerly put to death.

2.	any object, figure, or mark resembling a cross, as two intersecting lines.

3.	a mark resembling a cross, usually an X, made instead of a signature by a person unable to write.

4.	the Cross, the cross upon which Jesus died.

5.	a figure of the Cross as a Christian emblem, badge, etc.

6.	the Cross as the symbol of Christianity.

7.

a small cross with a human figure attached to it, as a representation of Jesus crucified; crucifix. cru⋅ci⋅fix   [kroo-suh-fiks] Show IPA –noun 1. a cross with the figure of Jesus crucified upon it. 2. any cross. 3. Gymnastics. a stunt performed on the parallel rings in which the athlete holds himself or herself rigid with arms extended horizontally from the shoulders. crucifīgere to crucify; see fix Related forms: cru⋅ci⋅fi⋅cial  [kroo-suh-fish-uhl] Show IPA , adjective ux in a Sentence –noun, plural crux⋅es, cru⋅ces  [kroo-seez] Show IPA . 1. a vital, basic, decisive, or pivotal point: The crux of the trial was his whereabouts at the time of the murder. 2. a cross. 3. something that torments by its puzzling nature; a perplexing difficulty. Origin: 1635–45; L: stake, scaffold, or cross used in executions, torment; figurative senses perh. NL crux (interpretum) (commentators') torment, a difficult passage in a text; cf. crucial Synonyms: 1. essence, heart, core, gist. Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.