Creep

n. ( Pret. and imp. CREPT.) [A. S. creópan; L. Ger. krupen; D. kruipen; O. Ger. krifan; Gael.crubain; W.crepian; Lat. repo; Gr. herpo; Sansk. srip.] To move with a slow and low pace; to move as a worm, insect, or reptile; to crawl. "And every creeping thing that creeps the ground." - Milton . To move along the ground, or on the surface of any other body, in growth, as a vine. "Creeping where no life is seen, A rare old plant is the Ivy green." - Dickens. -To move slowly, feebly, or timorously, as an aged person. "And ten low words oft creep in one dull line."- Pope. -To move slowly and insensibly; to move secretly; to steal in; to move forward unheard and unseen; as, time creeps on. "To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day."- Shaks. -To be servile; to fawn; to insinuate into; as, to creep into the good graces of another. "Humbly as they used to creep to holy altars." - Shaks. -To experience a crawling sensation, as of anything noxious creeping over the body; as, the sight is enough to make one's flesh creep . (Mining.) The depre ion which takes place on the surface, from the removal of beds of coal beneath. Ma es of coal-seam, like huge pillars, are left by the miners for the support of the superincumbent strata; the pre ure, however, of these beds is so great that, in course of time, the ceiling gradually sinks. A consequent depre ion takes place in the beds above, as also an alteration of the surface-level. But this, being so gradual, is seldom noticed, except when it is made evident from the accumu lati on of surface-water. Creep'er, n. He or that which creeps; an insect; a rep tile. -Any parasite plant that creeps along the ground, or clings to other support. "Winders and creepers, as ivy, briony, and woodbine.' Bacon (Zool.) See CERTHIADE, Credit Mobilier, n. [Fr.] The name given to a gigantic scheme promulgated in France in 1852, and sanctioned by the existing government, the objects of which are: 1. To take in hand and originate trading en- terprisesofall kinds, on the principle of limited liability. 2. To supersede or buy up trading companies; and to sub- stitute script and shares of its own, for the shares and bonds of the company. Under the title of THE CREDIT MOBILIER OF AMERICA, a corporation chartered in Pa. in-A 1859, for the carrying on of a general loan and contract busine , was reorganized in 1864 for the purpose - as it eventually turned out to be of enabling the pro- moters of the Union Pacific R.R. to construct their line ( Bot .) A plant growing on a support, or creeping along the ground. kind of grapnel used for dragging the bottom of a river, harbor, ., to recover things lost. -A kind of patten or clog worn by women. - A contriv ance fixed to a boot or shoe, to prevent the feet from slipping. -pl. ( Arch. ) Same as CROCKETS, q. v. and tersulphide of carbon. It coagulates albumen im- mediately, and is the most powerful antiseptic known. Meat that has been plunged into a solution containing only one per cent. of this substance becomes dry and hard on exposure to the air, and does not become putrid. It is thought by many, from its composition and pro- perties, to be a homologue of phenic acid. ( Med . ) As a stimulant to ill-conditioned ulcers, and in certain eruptive diseases of the skin, C., made into an ointment, is almost always attended with satisfactory results; while as an application to toothache, a few drops di olved in alcohol, and applied on cotton to the tooth, will most frequently afford direct relief; the ob- noxious taste, however, is often regarded as bad as the disease. C. acts as an antiseptic to decayed teeth. A few drops of it smeared on a paper placed in a safe, drive away all insects, and keep the meat fresh for several days longer than it could be otherwise preserved. Cre'pance, Cre'pane, n. [From Lat. crepare, to crack.] (Farriery.) An ulcer seated in the middle of the fore-part of a horse's foot. The crackling noise which is produced upon pre ing cellular membrane when it contains air. Also the noise Crep'itate, v . n. [Lat. crepito , crepitatus , frequent a- tive of crepo , to rattle, to crack.] To crackle; to snap; to burst with a small, sharp, abrupt sound, rapidly repeated, as salt in fire. petition of small, sharp sounds; a small crackling noise. ( Surg .) A grating noise made by the two edges of fractured bones when they rub together. It is one of the indications of a fracture which the surgeon listens to hear, when forming an opinion as to the nature of the injury. Crept, imp . of CREEP. q. v. Crepuscular, Crepusculous, a. [Lat. crepus- culum, dim. from creper , dusky, dark-a Sabine word; Sansk. kshapa , night.] Pertaining to twilight. "The beginnings of philosophy were in a crepusculous obscu- rity." Glanville . Crescendo, ( kre -shen'dō,) n. [It.; from Lat. cresco, crescens, to grow, to increase.] ( Mus .) A term repre- sented by the sign, which is placed over a pa age to direct the notes to be increased from soft to loud. -a. With progre ively increasing volume of voice or strength of tone; as, a crescendo movement. Crescens, an a istant of St. Paul, said to have been one Crescent, ( kres'ent ,) a. [From Lat. cresco, crescens, to grow, to increase.] Increasing; growing; in an ex- panding state. "Asturto, queen of heaven, with crescent horns." - Milton . -n. [Fr. croi ant.] The moon in her state of increase, until one-half of her face is enlightened; anything re- sembling the figure or shape of the new moon. Crescent City, in Illinois , a post-office of Iroquois co. Crescent City, in Iowa , a post-village of Pottawat- tomie co., on the Mi ouri River, about 7 miles above Council Bluffs. Crescent Hill, in Mi ouri , a post-office of Bates co. Crescen'tia, n. ( Bot . ) The typical genus of the order CRESCENT I A CEE, q. v. Crescent i a'ceæ, n. ( Bot . ) The Crescent i a or Cala- bash-tree family, an order of plants, alliance Bignonia les. DIAG. Parietal placentæ, succulent hard-shelled fruit, and an amygdaloid embryo with a short radicle. They consist of small trees, with leaves simple, alternate, or clustered, without stipules; flowers irregular, growing out of old branches or stems; calyx free, entire at first, afterwards splitting irregularly; corolla somewhat bi- labiate; stamens didynamous (2 long and 2 short), with a fifth of rudimentary character; ovary one-celled, and by an annu- lar disc; fruit indehiscent, woody; seeds large and nu- merous, with- out albumen, enveloped in a pulp. The order in- cludes about IMG:content-0414.png:[blocks in formation] shell is used for holding liquor or snuff, and for many other purposes. (See CALABASH.) - The fruit of Parmen- tiara edulis , another plant of this order, is eaten by the Mexicans; and that of P. cerifera is greedily devoured by cattle in Panama. The latter fruit resembles a can- dle in shape, and the plant is commonly called the can- dle-tree. Crescent'ic, a. Formed like a crescent. (R.) Crescent i'no, a town of N. Italy, in Piedmont, on the Pô, 20 m. from Turin. Manuf . Silks, and woollens. Pop . 6,374. Crescentville, in Pennsylvania , a village within the chartered limits of Philadelphia, on Tacony Creek. Cres'cive, a. [From Lat. cresco .] Increasing; growing. the Turkish flag or national standard; the standard it- self; and, figuratively, the Turkish power. (Her.) A device in the form of a new moon, borne on an escutcheon. When the horns are turned towards the chief or upper part of the shield, it is called crescent, in contradistinction to the terms increscent and decrescent; in the former of which the horns are turned to the right, and in the latter, to the left side of the shield. The C. is frequently used to distinguish the coat-armor of a second brother or junior family from that of the principal branch. As is well known, the C., or, as it is usually designated, the C. montant , has become the sym- bol of the Turkish Empire, which has thence been frequently styled the Empire of the C. This symbol, however, did not originate with the Turks. Long before their conquest of Con- stantinople, the C. had been used as emblematic of sovereignty, as may be seen from the still existing medals struck in honor of Augus- tus, Trajan, and others, and it had always been the symbol of Byzan- tium. On the overthrow of this empire by Mohammed II., the Turks, regarding the C., which everywhere met their eye, as a good omen, adopted it as their chief bearing; and it has continued ever since to decorate their minarets. ARMS OF TURKEY. (Golden crescent on their insignia, their dre , and in short anything ap- pertaining to their empire. - At the present day, it is frequently to be seen on churches in Ru ia, generally surmounted with the cro , marking unquestionably the Byzantine origin of the Ru ian Church. Cre'osote, n. [Gr. kreas , flesh, and sozo , I preserve.) ( Chem .) A finid containing oxygen, hydrogen, and car- bon, first found by Reichenbach, in the heavy oil ob- tained by the distillation of wood-tar. Its preparation is too tedious and troublesome to describe here. When pure, it is a colorle oily liquid of high refractive power, boiling at 3980. It is not easily kindled, but, when burnt, it gives forth a sooty, smoky flame. It has a burning taste, and its odor is peculiar. It is sparingly soluble in water, to which it gives its odor and taste. It is freely soluble in acetic acid, alcohol, ether, benzol, 20 m. above its junction with the San Joaquin. Crescent, in New York , a post-office of Saratoga co. Crescent City, in California , a post-town, cap. of Del Norte co.; Lat. 40° 48′ N., Lon. 124° 5' W. Cresco, in Kansas , a post-village of Anderson co., about 52 m. S. by W. of Lawrence. Cresco, or CERESCO, in Minnesota, a township of Blue Earth co. Cresco, in New York , a post-office of King's co. Cre , n. [A. S. cerse; D. kers; Ger. kre e ; Fr. cre on; It. crescione; L. Lat.cre o ; probably allied to Lat. cresco, to grow, to increase.] ( Bot .) A name given to many plants, of which the foliage has a pungent, mustard-like taste, and is used as salad. It is usually more strictly confined to the genus LEPIDUM, q . v. See also BARB ARE A, CARDAMINE, NASTURTIUM, and TROPÆOLUM. Cre elle', n . ( Eccl .) An instrument of wood, which, during pa ion-week, is used instead of bells in Catholic churches. Cres's et, n. [O. Fr. croi et, from L. Lat. crucibulum , from Lat. cruz , a cro : Icel. krus ] A pitcher or lantern fixed on the top of a pole, to contain a torch; a great light set on a beacon, light-honse, or watch- tower. Cre ets were originally sur- mounted by a small cro , from which custom they derive their name; and it was by carrying about a fiery cro that armies were raised in Scotland during the olden time. Shakspeare makes use of the word in Henry IV.: IMG:content-0415.jpg:[graphic] The front of heaven was full of fiery sparks, Of burning cre ets." -In England, a kind of crane for sustain- ing a pot over the fire; as, a kitchen- IMG:content-0416.png:[blocks in formation] The American Dictionary and Cyclopedia -Lofty mien; pride; spirit; fire; courage. "The crag is won, no more is seen His Christian crest , and haughty mien."-Byron. of England, and are connected with similar beds in the north of France and Germany, and in Denmark. As developed in the S. of England, the cretaceous system is crest of a wave. -The arching of the neck of a horse. ( Fortif .) The summit-line of a slope or glacis. (Arch.) A running ornament in a horizontal direction above the line of the cornice, as on the ridge of a roof, a canopy, or any similar works. (Her.) A portion of the armorial bearings of a nobleman or gentleman entitled to bear coat-armor that is commonly used without the shield, being painted on the doors of carriages, and engraved on plate and signet Fig . 719.- ARMORIAL INSIGNIA OF THE POPE. rings. In the days of chivalry, the crest or cognizance of the wearer was borne on the helmet. (See Fig . 591.) It was made of leather or light wood, gilded and painted, and a wreath of twisted silk was fastened round the lower part, where it was attached to the helmet. In modern times the crest is always drawn on a wreath composed of the principal metal and color occurring in the bearer's coat-of-arms, the coils being of metal and color alternately. Sometimes the C. rests on a cap of maintenance. Wegive, as an illustration, the armorial ensigns of the Pope, in which the crest consists of the tiara and the keys of St. Peter. -v. a. To furnish with a crest; to serve as a crest for.To furnish with feathery lines. Crest'ed, p. a. Wearing a crest; adorned with a crest or plume; having a tuft on the head, like a crest; as, a crested cock, a crested button. "He lac'd his crested helm, and strode away." - Dryden. ( Bot . ) Same as CRISTATE, q. v.