Uncrested

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing something lacking a top part or peak, such as an animal without a decorative plume; referring to objects or structures without a raised or projecting crest; characterizing an absence of an ornamental ridge or tuft that usually stands out
2. Indicating the state of not having a raised or pointed upper feature, commonly used for birds or helmets missing their usual crest; applying to entities without the typical elevated adornment; denoting a smooth or flat summit without any decorative protrusions
3. Referring to being without a crown-like projection, often in reference to animals or objects missing the expected prominent crest; implying the removal or absence of a top ornament; describing surfaces or creatures that do not possess a crest or ridge commonly found in related forms

Etymology: "Uncrested" is simply the English prefix "un-", meaning "not" or "lacking," attached to the adjective "crested." The prefix "un-" is native English, descending from Old English, and it has been freely attached to adjectives throughout the language's history to form negative counterparts such as "unpainted" or "unlocked." Its use here is entirely ordinary. The base word "crested" comes from "crest," which ultimately traces back to Latin "crista," meaning a tuft, plume, or ridge, such as the feathery growth on a bird's head or the ridge along an animal's back. English took "crest" over from Old French "creste," itself from the same Latin source, and the sense of a heraldic emblem or a ridge of a hill developed from that basic idea of a raised, topping ornament. "Crested" therefore describes something bearing such a feature, and "uncrested" describes the absence of one, typically a bird without a tuft or a helmet without its decorative plume.

Synonyms: bareheaded, unadorned, plain, simple, smooth

Antonyms: crested, crowned, adorned, decorated