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Origin and history of crest

crest(n.)

early 14c., "highest part of a helmet," an extended sense, from Old French creste "tuft or tuft-like growth on the top of an animal's head, comb" (12c., Modern French crête), from Latin crista "tuft, plume," which is derived from the same source as words for "hair" (such as crinis, crispus), but it also was used for crest of a cock or the upright ornaments of a helmet. Said by Watkins to be from an extended form of PIE root *sker- (2) "to turn, bend." Replaced Old English hris.

The "tuft of an animal" sense is from late 14c. in English.Meaning "highest part of a hill or mountain range" is from late 14c.

crest(v.)

late 14c., "provide with a crest," from Old French crester (12c.), from creste (see crest (n.)). Meaning "to come over the top ('crest') of" is from 1832; intransitive sense of "form or rise in a crest, reach the highest point" is from 1850. Related: Crested; cresting.

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to crest

crease(n.)

1660s, "long or thin mark made by doubling or folding," altered from creaste "a ridge," perhaps a variant of crest (n.), via meaning "a fold in a length of cloth" (mid-15c.) which produces a "crest." In sports, first in cricket (1779), where originally it was cut into the ground. As a verb, "to make creases in," from 1580s. Cut crease as a type of eyeshadow application is by 2009. Related: Creased; creasing.

*sker-(2)

also *ker-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to turn, bend."

It might form all or part of: arrange; circa; circadian; circle; circuit; circum-; circumcision; circumflex; circumnavigate; circumscribe; circumspect; circumstance; circus; cirque; corona; crepe; crest; crinoline; crisp; crown; curb; curvature; curve; derange; flounce (n.) "deep ruffle on the skirt of a dress;" krone; ring (n.1) "circular band;" ranch; range; ranger; rank (n.) "row, line series;" research; recherche; ridge; rink; rucksack; search; shrink.

It might also be the source of: Latin curvus "bent, curved," crispus "curly;" Old Church Slavonic kragu "circle;" perhaps Greek kirkos "ring," koronos "curved;" Old English hring "ring, small circlet."

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    Trends of crest

    adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

    More to explore

    cap
    late Old English cæppe "hood, head-covering, cape," a general Germanic borrowing (compare Old Frisian and Middle Dutch kappe, Old High German chappa) from Late Latin cappa "a cape, hooded cloak" (source of Spanish capa, Old North French cape, French chape), a word of uncertain or
    crown
    early 12c., coroune, croune, "royal crown, ornament for the head as a symbol of sovereignty," from Anglo-French coroune, Old French corone (13c., Modern French couronne) and directly from Latin corona "crown," originally "wreath, garland," related to Greek korōnē "anything curved
    peak
    1520s, "pointed top, projecting summit," a variant of pike (n.4) "sharp point." Meaning "top of a mountain, a precipitous mountain with a more or less conical summit" is recorded by 1630s, though pike was used in this sense c. 1400. Figurative sense is 1784. Of beards, 1590s; of
    comb
    Old English camb (later Anglian comb) "thin strip of toothed, stiff material" (for dressing the hair), also "fleshy crest...growing on the head of the domestic fowl" (so called for its serrations), hence "crest of a hat, helmet, etc.;" also "honeycomb...
    basilisk
    , literally "little king," diminutive of basileus "king" (see Basil); said by Pliny to have been so called because of a crest...The South American lizard was so called (1813) because it, like the mythical beast, has a crest....
    tuft
    uncertain origin, perhaps from Old French touffe "tuft of hair" (14c.), which is either from Late Latin tufa "a kind of crest...
    red cross
    Hence red-cross knight, one bearing such a marking on shield or crest....
    lie
    "speak falsely, tell an untruth for the purpose of misleading," Middle English lien, from Old English legan, ligan, earlier leogan "deceive, belie, betray" (class II strong verb; past tense leag, past participle logen), from Proto-Germanic *leuganan (source also of Old Norse ljug
    coat of arms
    mid-14c., also simply coat (mid-14c.); originally a tunic embroidered or painted with heraldic armorial bearings (worn over armor, etc); see coat (n.) + arm (n.2) and compare Old French cote a armer. Sense transferred in Middle English to the heraldic arms themselves. Hence turnc
    brow
    c. 1300, broue, plural broues, brouen, "arch of hair over the eye," also extended to the prominent ridge over the eye (early 14c.), from Old English bru (plural brua), which probably originally meant "eyebrow" (but also was used in the sense of "eyelash"), from Proto-Germanic *br

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