crest
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crest¹
- /kɹɛst/
Rhymes with -ɛst
Where it comes from
From Middle English creste, from Old French creste (modern French crête) and perhaps continuing Old English cræsta (“crest, tuft, plume”); both ultimately from Vulgar Latin *cresta, from Latin crista. Doublet of crista.
The informal meaning “design, logo” (noun sense 11) stems from a misinterpretation of the heraldic noun sense 4, which specifically refers to the object placed on top of the helm.
noun crests
- The summit of a hill or mountain ridge.
- A tuft, or other natural ornament, growing on an animal's head, for example the comb of a cockerel, the swelling on the head of a snake, the lengthened feathers of the crown or nape of bird, etc.
- The plume of feathers, or other decoration, worn on or displayed on a helmet; the distinctive ornament of a helmet.
- A bearing worn, not upon the shield, but usually on a helmet above it, sometimes (as for clerics) separately above the shield or separately as a mark for plate, in letterheads, and the like. I liked the man for his own sake, and even had he promised to turn out a celebrity it would have had no weight with me. I look upon notoriety with the same indifference as on the buttons on a man's shirt-front, or the crest on his note-paper.
- The upper curve of a horse's neck.
- The ridge or top of a wave. Then, too, the same flutter is observed when it glides over the crest of a wave, but this probably only occurs when the wind lies in a certain direction from the axis of flight.
- The helm or head, as typical of a high spirit; pride; courage.
- The ornamental finishing which surmounts the ridge of a roof, canopy, etc.
- The top line of a slope or embankment.
- A ridge along the surface of a bone.
- A design or logo, especially one of an institution, sports club, association or high-class family. Hungry for fame and the approval of rare-animal collector Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton), Darwin deceives the Captain and his crew into believing they can get enough booty to win the pirate competition by entering Polly in a science fair. So the pirates journey to London in cheerful, blinkered def
- Any of several birds in the family Regulidae, including the goldcrests and firecrests.
verb crests · cresting · crested
- Particularly with reference to waves, to reach a peak. The Skagit and Snohomish Rivers, which run through the region, are predicted to crest at record levels.
- To reach the crest of (e.g. a hill or mountain). the land rolls gently, so that, upon cresting a low rise or passing a copse of wind turbines, you suddenly spot a lot full of lorries or a complex of gigantic sheds.
- To furnish with, or surmount as, a crest; to serve as a crest for. His legs bestrid the ocean, his reared arm / Crested the world.
- To mark with lines or streaks like waving plumes. Like as the shining skie in summers night, / What time the dayes with scorching heat abound, / Is creasted all with lines of firie light
CREST²
noun
- Acronym of comparisons, reasons, examples, statistics, testimony, the five types of verbal support used to enhance an oral presentation.
Crest³
proper noun
- A census-designated place in San Diego County, California, United States.
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: summit, tip, peak, crown, top, cap, spike, rim, arms, toothpaste, flagship, edge, comb, shield, insignia, badge
Translations
Every language
noun summit of a hill or mountain ridge
| Español | cornisa, cresta |
|---|---|
| Português | cume |
| Français | crête |
| Deutsch | Gipfel |
| Italiano | cresta |
| Română | creastă |
| Русский | верши́на veršína |
noun animal’s or bird’s tuft
| Español | cresta, penacho, copete |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 볏 byeot |
| 日本語 | とさか tosaka |
| 中文 | 冠 guān |
| Português | crista |
| Français | crête |
| Deutsch | Kamm, Haube, Krone |
| Italiano | cresta |
| Română | creastă |
| Русский | гре́бень grébenʹ, гребешо́к grebešók, хохоло́к xoxolók |
| Tiếng Việt | mào |
| עברית | ציצית ראש |
noun plume or decoration on a helmet
| Español | cresta, cimera |
|---|---|
| Português | pluma, crista |
| Français | huppe, aigrette |
| Italiano | cresta, cimiero |
| Русский | плюма́ж pljumáž |
noun heraldic bearing
| Español | cimera |
|---|---|
| Português | timbre |
| Français | cimier |
| Deutsch | Helmzier, Zimir, Helmkleinod |
| Italiano | timbro, cimiero |
noun upper curve of horse's neck
| Português | crina |
|---|---|
| Français | crinière |
| Italiano | crine, criniera |
| Русский | гри́ва gríva, хо́лка xólka |
noun ridge or top of a wave
| Español | cresta |
|---|---|
| Português | crista (da/de onda) |
| Français | crête |
| Deutsch | Wellenkamm, Wellenspitze |
| Italiano | cresta |
| Română | creastă |
| Русский | гре́бень grébenʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | đỉnh sóng, ngọn sóng |
noun helm or head
| Português | elmo |
|---|
noun anatomy: ridge along the surface of a bone
| Français | crête |
|---|
verb to reach the crest of (a hill or mountain)
| Deutsch | erklimmen |
|---|
Talk about this word "crest." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/crest. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. crest. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/crest "crest." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/crest.Cite this
@misc{crest_2026,
title = {crest},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/crest},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
