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The act of creating or causing to exist. Specifically, the act of bringing the universe or this world into existence. From the creation to the general doom. Shak. As when a new particle of matter dotn begin to exist, in rerum natura, which had before no being; and this we call creation. Locke.

Belonging to a creature; having the qualities of a creature. [R.]

Bringing credit, reputation, or honor; honorable; as, such conduct is highly creditable to him. Macualay. He settled him in a good creditable way of living. Arbuthnot.

To grow, as a vine, clinging to the ground or to some other support by means of roots or rootlets, or by tendrils, along its length. "Creeping vines." Dryden.

An instrument with iron hooks or claws for dragging at the bottom of a well, or any other body of water, and bringing up what may lie there.

Growing along, and clinging to, the ground, or to a wall, etc., by means of rootlets or tendrils. Casements lined with creeping herbs. Cowper. Ceeping crowfoot (Bot.), a plant, the Ranunculus repens.- Creeping snowberry, an American plant (Chiogenes hispidula) with white berries and very small round leaves having the f…

With hanging head; hence, dispirited; dejected; cowed. Let it make thee crestfullen; Ay, and allay this thy abortive pride. Shak.

The company of seamen who man a ship, vessel, or at; the company belonging to a vessel or a boat.

Charging with crime; accusing; criminatory. R. North.

gashing it, when living, with a knife; as, to crimp skate, etc. Crimping house, a low lodging house, into which men are decoyed and plied with drink, to induce them to ship or enlist as sailors or soldiers. -- Crimping iron. (a) An iron instrument for crimping and curling the hair. (b) A crimping machine. -- Crimpin…

ervilely adored Heaven's awful monarch Milton. Flatterers . . . are always bowing and cringing. Arbuthnot.

A standard of judging; any approved or established rule or test, by which facts, principles opinions, and conduct are tried in forming a correct judgment respecting them. Of the diseases of the mind there is no criterion. Donne. Inferences founded on such enduring criteria. Sir G. C. Lewis.

One skilled in judging of the merits of literary or artistic works; a connoisseur; an adept; hence, one who examines literary or artistic works, etc., and passes judgment upon them; a reviewer. The opininon of the most skillful critics was, that nothing finer [than Goldsmith's "Traveler"] had appeared in verse since th…

The rules and principles which regulate the practice of the critic; the art of judging with knowledge and propriety of the beauties and faults of a literary performance, or of a production in the fine arts; as, dramatic criticism. The elements ofcriticism depend on the two principles of Beauty and Truth, one of which i…

To soothe by singing softly. The fragment of the childish hymn with which he sung and crooned himself asleep. Dickens.

One of the ribs in a groined arch, springing from the corners in a diagonal direction.

quarter ball at the end of each arm; -- used in naval actions for cutting the enemy's rigging.

A weapon, used in discharging arrows, formed by placing a bow crosswise on a stock.

A genus of euphorbiaceous plants belonging to tropical countries. Croton oil (Med.), a viscid, acrid, brownish yellow oil obtained from the seeds of Croton Tiglium, a small tree of the East Indies. It is a most powerful drastic cathartic, and is used externally as a pustulant.

An inflammatory affection of the larynx or trachea, accompanied by a hoarse, ringing cough and stridulous, difficult breathing; esp., such an affection when associated with the development of a false membrane in the air passages (also called membranous croup). See False croup, under False, and Diphtheria.…