"C" Word Origins

cringeworthy

Origin

From cringe (verb) + -worthy (suffix meaning of ‘sufficient worth for, deserving of’), popularized by the surname of the character Cuthbert Cringeworthy, an extremely studious pupil introduced in 1972 into The Bash Street Kids, a comic strip by the Scottish cartoonist David Sutherland (1933–2023) published in the British magazine The Beano.

cringey

Origin

From cringe + -y.

crinkle

Origin

From Middle English crenclen (“to bend, buckle”), from Old English *crinclian, frequentative form of Old English crincan (“to yield”), from Proto-Germanic *kringaną (“to turn, to fall, to yield”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to turn, wind”). Cognate with North Frisian krenge, krönge (“to obtain, reach, attain”), Dutch krinkelen (“to turn, wind”). Related to cringe.

cripes

Origin

A euphemistic softening of "Christ," similar in style to "crikey" and "criminy."

cripple

Old English

From Old English crypel, related to "creep," originally describing someone who had to crawl rather than walk.

Cris

Romanian

From Romanian Criș.

crisis

Greek

From Greek krisis, "a decision or turning point," from krinein, "to judge or decide."

crisp

Latin

From Old English crisp, "curly," from Latin crispus — originally describing curly hair, later extended to the crackly, brittle sense we use today.

Crispin

Latin

From Latin Crispinus, related to Crispus meaning "curly-haired," and associated with the Roman martyr Saint Crispin, patron saint of cobblers.

crispy

Middle English

From crisp + -y, originally meaning "curly" in Middle English before shifting toward its modern food-related sense.

crisscross

Origin

From "Christ-cross," an old term for a cross-shaped mark, altered over time into "crisscross."

Cristina

Latin

Borrowed from Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish Cristina, itself from Latin Christina.

Cristo

Origin

Borrowed from Romance (either Spanish Cristo, Portuguese Cristo or Italian Cristo).

Cristobal

Spanish

From Spanish Cristobal.

crit

Origin

A shortened form of "criticism," "critique," or "critical hit," depending on context.

criteria

Greek

The plural of criterion, formed the Greek way (-on becomes -a).

criterion

Greek

From Greek kriterion, "a means of judging," from krites, "judge."

critic

Latin

From Latin criticus, from Greek kritikos, "able to judge or discern," from krinein, "to judge."

critical

Latin

From Latin criticus + the adjective suffix -al, ultimately from Greek kritikos, "able to judge."

critically

Origin

From critical + -ly.

criticise

Origin

From critic + -ise, see criticize.

criticism

Origin

From critic + -ism.

criticize

Origin

From critic + -ize.

critique

New Latin

Borrowed from French critique, from New Latin critica, related to Latin criticus, "critical."

critter

Origin · 1815

A dialect pronunciation of "creature" first recorded in 1815, mostly associated with rural American English.

crivvens

Origin

Borrowed from Scots crivvens. Attested in English from the early 20th century.

croak

Old English

An imitative (onomatopoeic) word from Old English crācettan, meaning "to croak" — it was formed to mimic the sound itself, much like "crack."

Croatia

Ancient Greek

Borrowed from Medieval Latin Croātia, itself from an early Slavic name for the Croat people, traced back through Ancient Greek to a Proto-Slavic root.

Croatian

Origin

Formed from "Croat" (a member of the Croatian people) plus the suffix "-ian," or from "Croatia" plus "-an."

croc

Origin

A clipped, shortened form of "crocodile."

crocein

Origin

See croceous, + -in.

crochet

Old French

From French crochet, meaning "small hook" — ultimately from Old French croc ("hook"), related to Germanic and Norse words for hook or curve.

crock

Old English

From Old English crocc, crocca ("pot, vessel"), related to similar words for jar or pot across Germanic languages such as Dutch kruik and German Kruke.

crocked

Origin

See crock (verb)

crocker

Origin · 1315

Formed from "crock" (earthenware pot) plus "-er," meaning someone whose trade is making them; first recorded in 1315 as an occupational surname.

crockery

Origin

From "crocker" (a potter) plus the suffix "-ery," meaning a category or collection of things — so, literally, "the potter's wares."

crocodile

Ancient Greek

From Old French cocodril, ultimately from Ancient Greek krokódeilos; the modern spelling was later reshaped to match the Latin and Greek forms more closely.

crocodilian

Origin

From crocodile + -ian; compare translingual Crocodilia.

crocus

Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin crocus, from Ancient Greek κρόκος (krókos, “crocus”), from an ancient Semitic language.

croft

Old English

From Old English croft, meaning "enclosed field," of uncertain deeper origin but possibly related to words for a hill or bend.

croissant

French

Borrowed from French croissant, meaning "crescent," the present participle of croître ("to grow"); it is a doublet of the English word "crescent."

Cromwell

Old English

From Old English crump ("crooked, bent") plus wella ("spring").

crone

Old French

From Anglo-Norman carogne, related to Old French charogne ("carrion, old ewe") — the same root that gives English the word "carrion."

cronk

Origin

Imitative. Compare quonk.

crony

Origin

Coined between 1655 and 1665 from Ancient Greek χρόνιος (khrónios, “perennial, long-lasting”); see also chrono- (“time”). Initially Cambridge University slang, in sense of “chum”, as “friend of long standing”, with illegal connotation later. Early spellings included chrony, as in 1665 diary by Samuel Pepys, supporting the Greek origin.

croodle

Origin

Compare cruddle, crudle.

crook

Old English

From Old English crōc, meaning "hook" or "bend," related to Germanic and Norse words for a curved shape.

crookback

Origin

From crook + back.