Cruce
/kruːs/noun
An obsolete English word meaning a cross, especially the cross on which Jesus was crucified.
Did you know?The Latin root behind cruce also produced “excruciating,” literally describing pain associated with crucifixion.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
crux, crucis
“A cross, especially an instrument of execution; by extension, a source of anguish”
Late Latin
Latin
cruce
“A form of crux meaning “by, on, or with the cross””
Old French
Old French
croiz / crois
“Cross; the Christian cross”
Middle English
English
cruce
“A cross, chiefly in learned or religious usage”
Modern English
English
cruce
“An obsolete or archaic term for a cross”
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