crib en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gerbʰ- Proto-Indo-European *grebʰ-der. Proto-Indo-European *grébʰ-ōn ~ *grbʰ-n-ōs Proto-Germanic *krebô Proto-Germanic *kribjǭ Proto-West Germanic *kribbjā Old English cribb Middle English crib English crib From Middle English crib, cribbe, from Old English crib, cryb, cribb, crybb (“couch, bed; manger, stall”), from Proto-West Germanic *kribbjā, from Proto-Germanic *kribjǭ (“crib, wickerwork”), from Proto-Indo-European *grebʰ-, *gerbʰ- (“bunch, bundle, tuft, clump”), from *ger- (“to turn, twist”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Kräbbe, Krääb, Krääf (“crib”), West Frisian krêbe (“crib”), Dutch krib (“crib, manger”), German Krippe (“rack, crib”), Danish krybbe (“crib”), Icelandic krubba (“crib”). Doublet of crèche. The sense of ‘stealing, taking notes, plagiarize’ seems to have developed out of the verb. The criminal sense may derive from the 'basket' sense, circa the mid 18th century, in that a poacher could conceal poachings in such a basket (see the 1772 Samuel Foote quotation). The cheating sense probably derives from the criminal sense.
Meanings
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(US, countable, uncountable) A baby’s bed with high, often slatted, often moveable sides, suitable for a child who has outgrown a cradle or bassinet.
In two minutes I was kneeling by the child’s crib, and Sandy was dispatching servants here, there, and everywhere, all over the palace. I took in the situation almost at a glance -- membranous croup!
1889, Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court:
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(UK, countable, uncountable) A bed for a child older than a baby.
a day or two afterwards I learned that Miss Temple, on returning to her own room at dawn, had found me laid in the little crib; my face against Helen Burns’s shoulder, my arms round her neck. I was asleep, and Helen was -- dead.
1847 October 16, Currer Bell [pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë], “[HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20140811201712/HTTP://ETEXT.VIRGINIA.EDU/ETCBIN/OT2WWW-PUBENG?SPECFILE=%2FTEXTS%2FENGLISH%2FMODSLAENG%2FPUBLICSEARCH%2FMODENGPUB.O2W CHAPTER ?]”, in Jane Eyre. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Smith, Elder, and Co., […], →OCLC:
- (countable, uncountable) A small sleeping berth in a packet or other small vessel.
- (countable, uncountable) A wicker basket.
- (countable, uncountable) A manger, a feeding trough for animals elevated off the earth or floor, especially one for fodder such as hay.
- (countable, uncountable) The baby Jesus and the manger in a creche or nativity scene, consisting of statues of Mary, Joseph and various other characters such as the magi.
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(countable, uncountable) A bin for drying or storing grain, such as a corn crib.
I began to think of my horse. He, however, like an old campaigner, had taken good care of himself. I found him paying assiduous attention to the crib of Indian corn, and dexterously drawing forth and munching the ears that protruded between the bars.
1835, Washington Irving, chapter 35, in A Tour on the Prairies:
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(countable, uncountable) A small room or covered structure, especially one of rough construction, used for storage or penning animals.
Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.
1611, “Proverbs 14:4”, in The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC:A kitchen, a meat-house, a dairy, a crib with two stalls in the rear, one for the horse the other for the cow, were the out-buildings
1871, Richard Malcolm Johnston, Dukesborough Tales:
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(countable, uncountable) A confined space, such as a cage or office cubicle.
The singers were in a crib of wirework (like a large meat-safe or bird-cage) in one corner
1846, Charles Dickens, Pictures from Italy:
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(countable, obsolete, uncountable) A job, a position; (UK) an appointment.
but if I have lost my crib and get nothing in exchange I shall feel what a soft Johnny I have been.
1893, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Stockbroker’s Clerk:He had seen so many lean years of faithful service when the enemy held the corner on all the official cribs that, now in the days of his party’s fatness and of his own righteous reward, the habit of good, honest hustling stuck to him, and he lined up an array of pulls and indorsements that made him swell with happiness every time he went over the list.
1904, Forrest Crissey, Tattlings of a Retired Politician:
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(countable, uncountable) A hovel, a roughly constructed building best suited to the shelter of animals but used for human habitation.
Why rather, sleep, liest thou in smoky cribs, / Upon uneasy pallets stretching thee, / And hushed with buzzing night-flies to thy slumber, / Than in the perfumed chambers of the great,
c. 1596–1599, William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 2, act 3, scene 1, lines 9–12:
- (countable, uncountable) A boxy structure traditionally built of heavy wooden timbers, to support an existing structure from below, as with a mineshaft or a building being raised off its foundation in preparation for being moved; see cribbing.
- (countable, plural-normally, uncountable) A collection of quotes or references for use in speaking, for assembling a written document, or as an aid to a project of some sort; a crib sheet.
- (countable, obsolete, uncountable) A minor theft, extortion or embezzlement, with or without criminal intent.
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(countable, qualifier:cribbage, uncountable) The card game cribbage.
“May we play crib, Mrs. Radford?” he asked.
1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, “Chapter 12”, in Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC:
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(countable, qualifier:cribbage, uncountable) The cards discarded by players and used by the dealer, akin to the kitty or widow in other card games.
The cards were brought and Fanny played at cribbage with her aunt till bed-time; and as Sir Thomas was reading to himself, no sounds were heard in the room for the next two hours beyond the reckonings of the game—And that makes thirty-one, four in hand and eight in crib.
1814 May 9, [Jane Austen], chapter XI, in Mansfield Park: […], volume II, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 239:
- (countable, uncountable) A known piece of information corresponding to a section of encrypted text, that is then used to work out the remaining sections.
- (New-Zealand, Southern, countable, uncountable) A small holiday home, often near a beach and of simple construction.
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(Australia, New-Zealand, countable, uncountable) A snack or packed lunch, especially as taken to work to eat during a break.
He ate a thick square of banana cake from his crib and stared into the fire.
2002, Alex Miller, Journey to the Stone Country, Allen & Unwin, published 2003, page 40:
- (Canada, countable, uncountable) A small raft made of timber.
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(UK, countable, obsolete, qualifier:thieves' cant, uncountable) The stomach.
Here's Pannum and Lap, and good Poplars of Yarrum, / To fill up the Crib, and to comfort the Quarron.
1641–42, Richard Brome, A Joviall Crew, or, The Merry Beggars, published 1652, act 2:
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(countable, uncountable) A literal translation, usually of a work originally in Latin or Ancient Greek.
[On Chapman's use of a Latin literal translation of Homer] As will appear, he blocked out his translation from the Latin crib, keeping one eye uneasily on the Greek, and, enlightened by Scapula or by his own poetic intuition, worked out his own rendering, often marking the departure from the Latin by a defiant note in the margin or commentary.
1966, Millar MacLure, George Chapman: a critical study, page 171:
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(countable, slang, uncountable) A cheat sheet or past test used by students; crib sheet.
'This is not the Berlitz School of Languages, Head of S. If you want to show off your knowledge of foreign jawbreakers, be good enough to provide a crib. Better still, write in English.'
1953, Ian Fleming, “Dossier for M”, in Casino Royale, London: Pan Books, published 1955, page 16:
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(countable, qualifier:African-American Vernacular, slang, uncountable) One’s residence, house or dwelling place, or usual place of resort.
Toby and me were over the garden-wall the night afore last, sounding the panels of the door and shutters. The crib's barred up at night like a jail; but there's one part we can crack, safe and softly.
1838, Charles Dickens, chapter XIX, in Oliver Twist:Why, you would not be boosing till lightman's in a square crib like mine, as if you were in a flash panny?
1828, Edward Bulwer Lytton Baron Lytton, Pelham, Or, Adventures of a Gentleman:Franklin Clinton (Shawn Fonteno): Eh stop shootin' rockets at my crib!"
2013, Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto V, scene: Firing rockets in Franklin's house:My flow, my show brought me the dough / That bought me all my fancy things / My crib, my cars, my pools, my jewels.
2003, “In da Club”, in 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Mike Elizondo (lyrics), Get Rich or Die Tryin', performed by 50 Cent:Never park right outside where he live He don't want his ride outside his crib 'Cause they might roll by, recognize it And then come inside at night ready to fire with Guns like he ain't got none
2020, clipping., “Check the Lock”, in Visions of Bodies Being Burned, via Spotify:I knew every inch ofthis joint. I had come of age up in here, and it was more of a home to me than the crib where I rested my head each night.
2006, Noire [pseudonym], Thug-A-Licious: An Urban Erotic Tale, New York, N.Y.: One World, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 109:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| cribs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Deriveds
cribmate (terms derived from crib (noun)) · crib midget (terms derived from crib (noun)) · cribhouse (terms derived from crib (noun)) · criblike (terms derived from crib (noun)) · crib sheet (terms derived from crib (noun)) · crib board (terms derived from crib (noun)) · portacrib (terms derived from crib (noun)) · cribside (terms derived from crib (noun)) · crib-biter (terms derived from crib (noun)) · cribless (terms derived from crib (noun)) · lush-crib (terms derived from crib (noun)) · crib death (terms derived from crib (noun)) · crib lizard (terms derived from crib (noun)) · cribwork (terms derived from crib (noun)) · crack a crib (terms derived from crib (noun)) · crib mattress (terms derived from crib (noun)) · crib-biting (terms derived from crib (noun)) · crib talk (terms derived from crib (noun))
Synonyms
Translations (112)
pt plágio ((obsolete in English) petty theft or plagiarism) · pt cocho (a feeding trough for animals) · fi seimi (a feeding trough for animals) · la cunabula (a baby’s bed with high sides) · pl ściąga (a collection of quotes or references for use in speaking) · sv binge (a bin or box for storing grain) · ja カニングペーパー (notes concealed by a student to aid him/her in test or examination) · cs tahák (notes concealed by a student to aid him/her in test or examination) · prg rindo (a feeding trough for animals) · sh krevetac (a baby’s bed with high sides) · hu kégli ((slang) one’s residence, or where one normally hangs out; a house or dwelling place) · fr antisèche (notes concealed by a student to aid him/her in test or examination) · la cunae (a baby’s bed with high sides) · hu góré (a bin or box for storing grain) · cs jesle (a feeding trough for animals) · bg де́тско крева́тче (a baby’s bed with high sides) · it culla (a baby’s bed with high sides) · sh дјечји креветац (a baby’s bed with high sides) · hu kecó ((slang) one’s residence, or where one normally hangs out; a house or dwelling place) · de Krippe (a feeding trough for animals) · es chuleta (notes concealed by a student to aid him/her in test or examination) · nl wieg (a baby’s bed with high sides) · cmn 小抄 (notes concealed by a student to aid him/her in test or examination) · nl voederbak (a feeding trough for animals) · gl cabazo (a bin or box for storing grain) · el σκονάκι (notes concealed by a student to aid him/her in test or examination) · pl ściąga (notes concealed by a student to aid him/her in test or examination) · sv krubba (a feeding trough for animals) · eo kripo (a feeding trough for animals) · pl chata ((slang) one’s residence, or where one normally hangs out; a house or dwelling place) · pt berço (a baby’s bed with high sides) · uk дитя́че лі́жечко (a baby’s bed with high sides) · fi kaukalo (a feeding trough for animals) · fi hima ((slang) one’s residence, or where one normally hangs out; a house or dwelling place) · ja ベビーベッド (a baby’s bed with high sides) · es machete (notes concealed by a student to aid him/her in test or examination) · ru спи́сывание ((obsolete in English) petty theft or plagiarism) · sh јасле (a baby’s bed with high sides) · ru я́сли (a feeding trough for animals) · pl żłób (a feeding trough for animals) · hu cédula (a collection of quotes or references for use in speaking) · pt furto ((obsolete in English) petty theft or plagiarism) · gl celeiro (a bin or box for storing grain) · hu cetli (a collection of quotes or references for use in speaking) · fi laari (a bin or box for storing grain) · ru шпо́ра (notes concealed by a student to aid him/her in test or examination) · hu kukoricagóré (a bin or box for storing grain) · bg пищов (notes concealed by a student to aid him/her in test or examination) · hu kéró ((slang) one’s residence, or where one normally hangs out; a house or dwelling place) · ru крова́тка (a baby’s bed with high sides) · pt manjedoura (a feeding trough for animals) · gl caustra (a bin or box for storing grain) · ru за́кром (a bin or box for storing grain) · sh креветац (a baby’s bed with high sides) · lij chìnn-a (a baby’s bed with high sides) · el κούνια (a baby’s bed with high sides) · fr huche (a feeding trough for animals) · sv fusklapp (notes concealed by a student to aid him/her in test or examination) · nl spiekbriefje (notes concealed by a student to aid him/her in test or examination) · bg преписване ((obsolete in English) petty theft or plagiarism) · it lettino a sponde alte (a baby’s bed with high sides) · sh dečji krevetac (a baby’s bed with high sides) · hu rácsos gyerekágy (a baby’s bed with high sides) · cmn 作弊條 /作弊条 (notes concealed by a student to aid him/her in test or examination) · gl cabaz (a bin or box for storing grain) · nl plagiaat ((obsolete in English) petty theft or plagiarism) · fi pinnasänky (a baby’s bed with high sides) · vi nôi (a baby’s bed with high sides) · hu jegyzet (a collection of quotes or references for use in speaking) · el παχνί (a feeding trough for animals) · de Gitterbett (a baby’s bed with high sides) · hu jászol (a feeding trough for animals) · cmn 娃娃床 (a baby’s bed with high sides) · ko 구유 (a feeding trough for animals) · sv lathund (a collection of quotes or references for use in speaking) · sv barnsäng (a baby’s bed with high sides) · bg я́сли (a feeding trough for animals) · ca bressol (a baby’s bed with high sides) · gl hórreo (a bin or box for storing grain) · sh дечји креветац (a baby’s bed with high sides) · fi luntti (notes concealed by a student to aid him/her in test or examination) · pdt Wieej (a baby’s bed with high sides) · es cuna (a baby’s bed with high sides) · de Spickzettel (notes concealed by a student to aid him/her in test or examination) · fr antisèche ((cryptography)) · pl ściągawka (a collection of quotes or references for use in speaking) · ja まぐさ桶 (a feeding trough for animals) · eo beblito (a baby’s bed with high sides) · ja カンペ (notes concealed by a student to aid him/her in test or examination) · pt cola (notes concealed by a student to aid him/her in test or examination) · grc κάπη (a baby’s bed with high sides) · ru де́тская крова́тка (a baby’s bed with high sides) · sv spjälsäng (a baby’s bed with high sides) · hu puska (notes concealed by a student to aid him/her in test or examination) · grc φάτνη (a feeding trough for animals) · nl trog (a feeding trough for animals) · sh jasle (a baby’s bed with high sides) · pdt Kjrebb (a feeding trough for animals) · fr berceau (a baby’s bed with high sides) · it greppia (a feeding trough for animals) · fi lunttilappu (notes concealed by a student to aid him/her in test or examination) · pl kojec (a baby’s bed with high sides) · cs postýlka (a baby’s bed with high sides) · gl cabaceira (a bin or box for storing grain) · ru шпарга́лка (notes concealed by a student to aid him/her in test or examination) · hu feljegyzés (a collection of quotes or references for use in speaking) · gl piorno (a bin or box for storing grain) · it mangiatoia (a feeding trough for animals) · de Schummelzettel (notes concealed by a student to aid him/her in test or examination) · ru хата ((slang) one’s residence, or where one normally hangs out; a house or dwelling place) · sh dječji krevetac (a baby’s bed with high sides) · grc φάτνη (a baby’s bed with high sides)