n.
Pronunciation: ' kre-s ə nt
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English cressant, from Anglo-French, from present participle of crestre to grow, increase, from Latin crescere; akin to Old High German hirsi millet, Lithuanian š erti to feed, Greek koros boy
Date: 15th century
1 a : the moon at any stage between new moon and first quarter and between last quarter and the succeeding new moon when less than half of the illuminated hemisphere is visible b : the figure of the moon at such a stage defined by a convex and a concave edge
2 : something shaped like a crescent
– cres · cen · tic \ kre- ' sen-tik, kr ə - \ adjective