Etymology
1. 1399, from Anglo-Fr.
cressaunt, from O.Fr.
creissant, from L.
crescentum (nom.
crescens), pp. of
crescere "come forth, spring up, grow, thrive," from PIE base
*ker- "to grow" (cf. L.
Ceres, goddess of agriculture,
creare "to bring forth, create, produce;" Gk.
kouros "boy,"
kore "girl;" Arm.
serem "bring forth,"
serim "be born"). First applied to the waxing moon,
luna crescens, but subsequently mistaken to mean the shape, not the stage. A badge or emblem of the Turkish sultans (probably chosen for its suggestion of "increase"); figurative sense of "Muslim political power" is from 1589, but modern writers often falsely associate it with the Saracens of the Crusades or the Moors of Spain. Horns of the waxing moon are on the viewer's left side; those of the waning moon are on his right.
Croissant is the modern Fr. form of the word. The original L. sense is preserved in
crescendo, borrowed 1776 as a musical phrase from It., from L.
crescendo, abl. of gerund of
crescere.
2. Etymology tree
3. Anglo-Norman cressauntbor.
4. Proto-Indo-European *ḱer-
5. Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti
6. Proto-Indo-European *ḱreh₁-sḱéti
7. Latin crēscō
8. Latin crēscentem
9. Old French creissantbor.
10. Middle English cressaunt
11. English crescent
12. From Middle English cressaunt, from Anglo-Norman cressaunt and Old French creissant (“crescent of the moon”) (French croissant), from Latin crēscēns, present active participle of crēscō (“arise, thrive”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱreh₁- (“to grow”). See Old Armenian սերիմ (serim, “be born”) and սերեմ (serem, “bring forth”), Ancient Greek κόρη (kórē, “girl”) and κούρος (koúros, “boy”), Latin creāre (“produce, create, bring forth”) and Ceres (“goddess of agriculture”). Doublet of croissant.
13. The pronunciation with /z/ is a comparatively recent innovation due to the influence of words such as pheasant and present.
Verbs referencing "crescent"
Spanish
crecer.