crux

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a small conspicuous constellation in the southern hemisphere in the Milky Way near Centaurus
  2. noun the most important point

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin crux (“cross, wooden frame for execution”), possibly from the Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, to bend”). Doublet of cross and crouch (“cross”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

Southern Cross, Crux Australis

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