Link Centre Dictionary

crisp

UK/kɾɪsp/ US/kɹɪsp/ fairly common slang uk us
adjective (6) noun (1) verb (2)

adjective

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”
Synonyms
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2.

tender and brittle

  • “crisp potato chips”
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3.

pleasantly cold and invigorating

  • “crisp clear nights and frosty mornings”
  • “a nipping wind”
  • “a nippy fall day”
  • “snappy weather”
  • “parky”
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4.

pleasingly firm and fresh and making a crunching noise when chewed

  • “crisp carrot and celery sticks”
  • “a firm apple”
  • “crunchy lettuce”
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5.

in small tight curls

Synonyms
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6.

brief and to the point; effectively cut short

  • “a crisp retort”
  • “a response so curt as to be almost rude”
  • “the laconic reply;”
  • “";”
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noun

1.

verb

1.

make wrinkles or creases into a smooth surface

  • “The dress got wrinkled”
Synonyms
2.

make brown and crisp by heating

  • “toast bread”
  • “crisp potatoes”
Synonyms

Origin

The adjective is derived partly from the following: * Etymology 1, adjective sense 1: Middle English crisp (“curly, wavy”), from Old English crisp (“curly”), from Latin crispus (“of hair: crimped, curly”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kris-, from *(s)ker- (“to bend; to turn”). * Etymology 1, adjective sense 2: from the above, and probably also onomatopoeic, representing a crinkling or crunching sound. Doublet of crape and crepe. Adjective etymology 1, adjective sense 2.2.3 (“of air, weather, etc.: cool and dry”) is transferred from a description of frost or snow as “crisp”, that is, crunchy. The noun is derived partly from the following: * Middle English crisp (“light, crinkled fabric; kind of pastry; crinkliness or roughness of skin”), from crisp (adjective) (see above). * Modern English crisp (adjective) (“having a consistency which is hard yet brittle”).

Phrases

  • burn to a crisp
  • cheese crisp
  • chili crisp
  • crisp mint
  • crisping iron
  • crisping pin
  • crisping tongs
  • piece and crisps
  • prawn crisp

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.