noun
or cro·zier ˈkrōzhə(r)
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English croser, from Middle French crossier staff bearer, from crosse pastoral staff (from Old French croce, of Gmc. origin; akin to Old High German krucka crutch) + -ier -er — more at crutch
1. obsolete
a. : the bearer of the pastoral staff of a bishop
b. : the bearer of a cross before an archbishop
2. : the pastoral staff of a bishop, abbot, or abbess resembling a shepherd's crook and borne as a symbol of the pastoral office ; also : the processional cross or cross-staff of an archbishop in the Church of England
3. : any botanical structure with a curled, coiled, or circinate end (as the young frond of a fern)