Crose

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A Scots or archaic form of the word for a cross, the shape or symbol made of two intersecting lines
2. An old Scottish spelling for a cross, whether the religious emblem or the figure formed by crossed bars
3. A dialect variant naming a cross, meaning the upright-and-crossbar symbol or structure

Etymology: The spelling "crose" is an old variant of "cross," found in Middle English and in Scots, where it could also mean "ill-tempered," the sense that later became "cross" in the sense of irritable. Its roots lie in the older meaning of the object itself: the cross, the instrument of execution and the symbol of Christ's crucifixion. Where the English form comes from is less certain. Old English had "cros," which most dictionaries derive from Old Norse "kross," though some suggest an earlier borrowing from Irish "cros." Both trace back to Latin "crux," meaning a stake or cross, which was also the source of the Latin word that gave English many religious and legal terms. The variant "crose" simply preserves an older vowel pattern that "cross" later lost in standard English.