Adjacent Words

Crisp definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CRISP, a. [L. G. See the Verb.]
1. Curled; formed into curls or ringlets.
2. Indented; winding; as crisp channels.
3. Brittle; friable; easily broken or crumbled.
CRISP, v.t. [L.]
1. To curl; to twist; to contract or form into ringlets, as the hair; to wreathe or interweave, as the branches of trees.
2. To indent. To twist or eddy. But the sense is, to curl; to wrinkle in little undulations, as a fretted surface.
From that sapphire fount the crisped brooks, rolling on orient pearl and sands of gold, ran nectar, visiting each plant.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: (of something seen or heard) clearly defined; "a sharp photographic image"; "the sharp crack of a twig"; "the crisp snap of dry leaves underfoot" [syn: crisp, sharp]
2: tender and brittle; "crisp potato chips" [syn: crisp, crispy]
3: pleasantly cold and invigorating; "crisp clear nights and frosty mornings"; "a nipping wind"; "a nippy fall day"; "snappy weather" [syn: crisp, frosty, nipping, nippy, snappy]
4: pleasingly firm and fresh; "crisp lettuce"
5: (of hair) in small tight curls [syn: crisp, frizzly, frizzy, kinky, nappy]
6: brief and to the point; effectively cut short; "a crisp retort"; "a response so curt as to be almost rude"; "the laconic reply; `yes'"; "short and terse and easy to understand" [syn: crisp, curt, laconic, terse] n
1: a thin crisp slice of potato fried in deep fat [syn: chip, crisp, potato chip, Saratoga chip] v
1: make wrinkles or creases on a smooth surface; make a pressed, folded or wrinkled line in; "The dress got wrinkled"; "crease the paper like this to make a crane" [syn: wrinkle, ruckle, crease, crinkle, scrunch, scrunch up, crisp]
2: make brown and crisp by heating; "toast bread"; "crisp potatoes" [syn: crispen, toast, crisp]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Old English, from Latin crispus; akin to Welsh crych curly Date: before 12th century 1. curly, wavy; also having close stiff or wiry curls or waves 2. a. easily crumbled ; brittle <a crisp cracker> b. desirably firm and crunchy <crisp lettuce> 3. a. notably sharp, clean-cut, and clear <a crisp illustration>; also concise and to the point <a crisp reply> b. noticeably neat <crisp new clothes> c. brisk, lively <a crisp tale of intrigue> <crisp musical tempi> d. briskly cold <crisp winter weather>; also fresh, invigorating <crisp autumn air> <a crisp white wine> e. deftly and powerfully executed <a crisp tennis serve> Synonyms: see fragile • crisply adverb • crispness noun II. verb Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. curl, crimp 2. to cause to ripple ; wrinkle 3. to make or keep crisp intransitive verb 1. curl 2. ripple 3. to become crisp III. noun Date: 14th century 1. a. something crisp or brittle <burned to a crisp> <rye crisps> b. chiefly British potato chip — usually used in plural 2. a baked dessert of fruit with crumb topping <apple crisp>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj., n., & v. --adj. 1 hard but brittle. 2 a (of air) bracing. b (of a style or manner) lively, brisk and decisive. c (of features etc.) neat and clear-cut. d (of paper) stiff and crackling. e (of hair) closely curling. --n. 1 (in full potato crisp) Brit. a thin fried slice of potato sold in packets etc. and eaten as a snack or appetizer. 2 a thing overdone in roasting etc. (burnt to a crisp). --v.tr. & intr. 1 make or become crisp. 2 curl in short stiff folds or waves. Derivatives: crisply adv. crispness n. Etymology: OE f. L crispus curled

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Crisp Crisp, v. i. To undulate or ripple. Cf. Crisp, v. t. To watch the crisping ripples on the beach. --Tennuson.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Crisp Crisp, n. That which is crisp or brittle; the state of being crisp or brittle; as, burned to a crisp; specifically, the rind of roasted pork; crackling.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Crisp Crisp (kr?sp), a. [AS. crisp, fr. L. crispus; cf. carpere to pluck, card (wool), and E. harvest. Cf. Crape.] 1. Curling in stiff curls or ringlets; as, crisp hair. 2. Curled with the ripple of the water. [Poetic] You nymphs called Naiads, of the winding brooks . . . Leave jour crisp channels. --Shak. 3. Brittle; friable; in a condition to break with a short, sharp fracture; as, crisp snow. The cakes at tea ate short and crisp. --Goldsmith. 4. Possessing a certain degree of firmness and freshness; in a fresh, unwilted condition. It [laurel] has been plucked nine months, and yet looks as hale and crisp as if it would last ninety years. --Leigh Hunt. 5. Lively; sparking; effervescing. Your neat crisp claret. --Beau. & Fl. 6. Brisk; crackling; cheerful; lively. The snug, small room, and the crisp fire. --Dickens.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Crisp Crisp, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Crisped (kr?spt); p. pr. & vb. n. Crisping.] [L. crispare, fr. crispus. See Crisp. a. ] 1. To curl; to form into ringlets, as hair, or the nap of cloth; to interweave, as the branches of trees. 2. To cause to undulate irregularly, as crape or water; to wrinkle; to cause to ripple. Cf. Crimp. The lover with the myrtle sprays Adorns his crisped tresses. --Drayton. Along the crisped shades and bowers. --Milton. The crisped brooks, Rolling on orient pearl and sands of gold. --Milton. 3. To make crisp or brittle, as in cooking. Crisping iron, an instrument by which hair or any textile fabric is crisped. Crisping pin, the simplest form of crisping iron. --Is. iii. 22.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(crisper, crispest, crisps, crisping, crisped) 1. Food that is crisp is pleasantly hard, or has a pleasantly hard surface. Bake the potatoes for 15 minutes, till they're nice and crisp. ...crisp bacon. ...crisp lettuce. ? soggy ADJ [approval] • crispness The pizza base retains its crispness without becoming brittle. • crisply ...crisply fried onion rings. ADV 2. If food crisps or if you crisp it, it becomes pleasantly hard, for example because you have heated it at a high temperature. Cook the bacon until it begins to crisp... Spread breadcrumbs on a dry baking sheet and crisp them in the oven. VERB: V, V n 3. Crisps are very thin slices of fried potato that are eaten cold as a snack. (BRIT; in AM, use chips or potato chips) ...a packet of crisps. ...cheese and onion potato crisps. N-COUNT: usu pl 4. Weather that is pleasantly fresh, cold, and dry can be described as crisp. ...a crisp autumn day. ADJ [approval] 5. Crisp cloth or paper is clean and has no creases in it. I slipped between the crisp clean sheets. ...crisp banknotes. ADJ: usu ADJ n • crisply ...his crisply pressed suit. ADV

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a.; (also crispy) 1. Brittle, friable. 2. Curled, frizzled. II. v. a. Twist, curl.

Moby Thesaurus

Siberian, Spartan, abbreviated, abridged, algid, aphoristic, aposiopestic, arctic, axiomatic, below zero, biting, bitter, bitterly cold, bleak, boreal, bracing, breakable, brief, brisk, brittle, brittle as glass, brumal, brusque, cheering, chip, clean-cut, clear, clear as crystal, clear as day, clear-cut, clipped, close, coherent, coil, cold, cold as charity, cold as death, cold as ice, cold as marble, compact, compendious, compressed, concise, condensed, connected, consistent, contracted, cordial, crackable, crease, crimp, crinkly, crisped, crispy, crumbly, crump, crushable, crystal-clear, crystalline, curl, curled, curly, curt, cut, cutting, defined, definite, delicate, direct, distinct, docked, dog-ear, double, double over, elliptic, energizing, enfold, epigrammatic, exhilarating, explicit, express, fissile, flimsy, flounce, flute, fold, fold over, formulaic, formulistic, fracturable, fragile, frail, frangible, freezing, freezing cold, fresh, friable, frigid, frill, frizzed, frizzly, frizzy, gather, gelid, glacial, gnomic, hibernal, hiemal, hyperborean, ice-cold, ice-encrusted, icelike, icy, inclement, infold, ingoing, interfold, invigorating, keen, kink, kinked, kinky, lacerable, laconic, lap over, limpid, loud and clear, lucid, luminous, nipping, nippy, numbing, pellucid, penetrating, perspicuous, piercing, pinching, pithy, plain, plait, plat, platitudinous, pleat, plicate, ply, pointed, proverbial, provoking, pruned, pulverizable, pulverulent, pungent, quill, raw, refreshful, refreshing, regaling, reserved, rigorous, rousing, ruff, ruffle, scissile, sententious, severe, sharp, shatterable, shattery, shivery, short, short and sweet, shortened, simple, sleety, slushy, snappy, splintery, stimulating, stone-cold, straightforward, subzero, succinct, summary, supercooled, synopsized, taciturn, terse, tight, to the point, tonic, translucent, transparent, transpicuous, trenchant, triturable, truncated, tuck, turn over, twill, unambiguous, unconfused, unequivocal, univocal, unmistakable, vulnerable, well-defined, winterbound, winterlike, wintery, wintry, zestful, zesty