■ verb
1》 crush (a hard or brittle foodstuff) with the teeth, making a loud grinding sound.
2》 make or move with a loud grinding sound.
3》 (especially of a computer) process (large quantities of data).
■ noun
1》 a ~ing sound.
2》 ( the ~ ) informal the crucial point of a situation.
3》 a sit-up.
Derivatives
~er noun
Origin
C19: var. of C17 cranch (prob. imitative), assoc. with crush and munch .