LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininethird declension

crux

crux f (genitive crucis)
Classical[ˈkrʊks]Ecclesiastical[ˈkruks]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. femininewooden frame on which criminals were crucified, especially a cross
    ī/abī in malam crucem!go and get crucified!
  2. derogatoryfemininegallows bird; one who deserves to be hanged
  3. femininefigurativelytorture; misery
  4. femininecross (symbol)
    Ave Crux albaHail thou white Cross

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

lignum mortis; in cruce servī malī et scelestī moriuntur.
crux crucis f — in Mille Verba, Basilica et Iūs

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativecruxcrucēs
genitivecruciscrucum
dativecrucīcrucibus
accusativecrucemcrucēs
ablativecrucecrucibus
vocativecruxcrucēs

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

cruci suffigere aliquem
to crucify.
in crucem agere, tollere aliquem
to crucify.
minitari (minari) alicui mortem, crucem et tormenta, bellum
to threaten some one with death, crucifixion, torture, war.

crux, ŭcis, f. (m., Enn. ap. Non. p. 195, 13; Gracch. ap. Fest. s. v. masculino, p. 150, 24, and 151, 12 Müll.) [perh. kindred with circus].
I. Lit.
A. In gen., a tree, frame, or other wooden instruments of execution, on which criminals were impaled or hanged, Sen. Prov. 3, 10; Cic. Rab. Perd. 3, 10 sqq.—
B. In partic., a cross, Ter. And. 3, 5, 15; Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 3, § 7; 2, 1, 4, § 9; id. Pis. 18, 42; id. Fin. 5, 30, 92; Quint. 4, 2, 17; Tac. A. 15, 44; Hor. S. 1, 3, 82; 2, 7, 47; id. Ep. 1, 16, 48 et saep.: dignus fuit qui malo cruce periret, Gracch. ap. Fest. l. l.: pendula, the pole of a carriage, Stat. S. 4, 3, 28. —
II. Transf.
A. As a term of reproach, a gallows bird, a hempen rascal, Plaut. Pers. 5, 2, 17.—
B. Transf., torture, trouble, misery, destruction, etc. (so most freq. in Plaut. and Ter., and in the former esp. freq. in connection with mala): aliqua mala crux, tormentor (of a prostitute), Plaut. Aul. 3, 5, 48; cf.: illae cruces, Ter. Eun. 2, 3, 92: quae te mala crux agitat? what tormentor troubles you? Plaut. Bacch. 4, 2, 2: abstraxit hominem in maximam malam crucem, id. Men. prol. 66: quaerere in malo crucem, Ter. Phorm. 3, 3, 11.—Prov.: summum jus antiqui summam putabant crucem, Col. 1, 7, 2.—Hence, in colloq. lang.: I (abi, etc.) in malam crucem! go to the devil! go and be hanged! Plaut. Cas. 3, 5, 17; id. Ps. 3, 2, 57; 4, 7, 86 al.; Ter. Phorm. 2, 3, 21; cf.: Cy. Num quid vis? Me. Ut eas maximam in malam crucem, Plaut. Men. 2, 2, 53; id. Capt. 3, 1, 9.—Without mala: I in crucem, Plaut. As. 5, 2, 91.—And ellipt.: in malam crucem! Plaut. Cas. 5, 4, 8; id. Ps. 5, 2, 5. —Hence, Ital. croce; Fr. croix.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*(s)ker-der.?
  2. Proto-Italic *kruks/*krukis
  3. Latincrux

Inherited from Proto-Italic *kruks or *krukis (it is uncertain whether the original form was an i-stem), of unclear origin. Pokorny connected Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, to bend”) with an assumed extension in *-k-; compare Latin circus (“circle”) and curvus (“curve”). This explanation suffers phonetic, morphological and semantic problems. A modern hypothesis connects Irish crúach (“heap, hill”), Gaulish *krouka (“summit”), Proto-Brythonic *krʉg (“small hill; pillar”), Old Norse hrúga (“heap, pile”), and Proto-Germanic *hraukaz (“heap, pile”) and *hrugjaz (“back, spine, ridge”), pointing to Proto-Indo-European *krewk- (“~ heap, hill; back, spine?”), albeit with an unusual root structure and shaky semantics. Alternatively, a loanword from an unidentified or substrate language.

Insular Romance
  • Sardiniancruche
  • Sardiniancrugi
  • Sardiniancruxi
  • Sardiniangruche
  • Sardiniangrughe
  • Sardiniangruxi
Occitano-Romance
  • Occitancrotz
  • Catalancreufrom Old Catalan crou
West Iberian
  • Portuguesecruzfrom Old Galician-Portuguese cruz
  • Spanishcruz
  • Asturiancruz
  • Falacrufrom Old Galician-Portuguese cruz
  • Galiciancruzfrom Old Galician-Portuguese cruz
Elsewhere
  • Englishcrux
  • GermanCrux
  • Albaniankryq
  • Basquegurutze
  • Bretonkroesfrom Proto-Celtic *kruxsā
  • Bretonkroazfrom Proto-Celtic *kruxsā
  • Cornishkrowsfrom Proto-Celtic *kruxsā
  • Welshcroesfrom Proto-Celtic *kruxsā
  • Welshcrwysfrom Proto-Celtic *kruxsā
  • Irishcrosfrom Proto-Celtic *kruxsā
Balkan Romance
  • Romaniancruce
  • Aromaniancrutsi
  • Aromaniancrutse
  • Aromaniancrutsã
  • Aromaniancãrutsi
  • Aromaniancãrutse
Italo-Romance
  • Italiancroce
  • Corsicancroce
  • Corsicancroci
  • Dalmatiancrauc
  • Galluresegruci
  • Galluresegrugi
  • Neapolitancroce
  • Sassaresecrozi
  • Siciliancruci
North Italian
  • Friuliancrôs
  • Liguriancrôxe
  • Lombardcroxfrom Old Lombard crox
  • Piedmontesecros
  • Romagnolcróṡ
  • Romanshcrusch
  • Romanshcrousch
  • Venetancróxe
Gallo-Romance
  • Franco-Provençalcroués
  • Old Frenchcrois

In English words that came into English from crux

  • crosscrux
  • cruisecrux
  • crosiercrux
  • crucifixcrucifixus
  • cruxcrux
  • cruciblecrucibulum
  • cruciformcrux
  • excruciatingexcruciō
  • crucifercrucifer
  • excruciateexcruciatus
  • cruciferouscrucifer
  • crucigerouscrux
  • cruciatecruciatus
  • crucicentriccrux
  • crunodecrux
  • cruciationcruciatio

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesCruxCrux (σταυρός, σκόλοψ), an instrument of capital punishment, used at a very early period in the East. The sacred associations of the Cross are discuss…

Quick answers

What does crux mean in Latin?
crux, a noun, means “wooden frame on which criminals were crucified, especially a cross; gallows bird; one who deserves to be hanged”.
What is the genitive of crux?
The genitive singular is crucis. crux is feminine, third declension.
How do you pronounce crux?
In classical Latin, [ˈkrʊks]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈkruks].
Where does crux come from?
Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker-der.? → Proto-Italic *kruks /*krukis → Latin crux.
Which English words come from crux?
English words that go back to Latin crux include cross, cruise, crosier, crux, cruciform and crucigerous.