crescent
UK: ˈkrɛzənt | US: ˈkrɛsənt
n. 1. A curved shape resembling a segment of a ring, tapering to points at the ends (e.g., the moon in its first or last quarter).
n. 2. Something shaped like a crescent, such as a crescent roll or a crescent-shaped street.
adj. 1. Growing or increasing in size (archaic).
The word "crescent" traces back to Latin crescere, meaning "to grow," reflecting the moon's waxing phase where it appears to grow in size. The term was adopted into Old French as crescent, then Middle English, originally describing the moon's shape. Over time, it generalized to any crescent-shaped object. The archaic adjective sense ("growing") preserves the original Latin meaning but is now rare.
The crescent moon hung low in the twilight sky.
She bit into a warm, buttery crescent roll.
The city’s historic district is laid out in a crescent.
(Archaic) "The crescent profits of the trade delighted the merchants."
The symbol of Islam features a star and crescent.