Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Any of various large wading birds of the family Gruidae, having a long neck, long legs, and a long bill.
- n. A similar bird, such as a heron.
- n. A machine for hoisting and moving heavy objects by means of cables attached to a movable boom.
- n. Any of various devices with a swinging arm, as in a fireplace for suspending a pot.
- v. To hoist or move with or as if with a crane.
- v. To strain and stretch (the neck, for example) in order to see better.
- v. To stretch one's neck toward something for a better view.
- v. To be irresolute; hesitate.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A large grallatorial bird with very long legs and neck, a long straight bill with pervious nostrils near its middle, the head usually naked, at least in part, the hind toe elevated, and the inner secondaries usually enlarged; any bird of the family Gruidæ. There are about 15 closely similar species, found in many parts of the world, most of them included in the genus Grus. The common crane of Europe is G. cinerea; it is about 4 feet long. (See cut under
Grus .) The common American or sand-hill crane is G. canadensis. A statelier and larger species is the whooping crane, G. americana, which is white, with black primaries. The gigantic crane of Asia is G. leucogeranus, and a common Indian crane is G. antigone. The wattled crane of South Africa is Grus (Bugeranus) carunculata. The crown-crane, or crowned crane, is of the genus Balearica. The Numidian crane, or demoiselle, and the Stanley crane are elegant species of the genus Anthropoides. - n. Popularly and erroneously, one of sundry very large grallatorial birds likened to cranes, as herons and storks. Thus, the great blue heron of North America (Ardea herodias) is popularly known as the blue crane; and the name gigantic crane has been erroneously given to the adjutant-bird.
- n. The constellation Grus (which see).
- n. Same as crinet, 1.
- To be stretched out like the neck of a crane.
- Hence In hunting, to look before one leaps; pull up at a dangerous jump.
- To stretch or bend (the neck) like a crane: as, he craned his neck to see what was on the other side of the pillar.
- n. A machine for moving weights, having two motions, one a direct lift and the other horizontal. The latter may be circular, radial, or universal. The parts of the simple crane are an upright post having a motion on its vertical axis, a jib or swinging arm jointed at its lower end to the post and tied to the post at its outer or upper end, and hoisting tackle connecting the motive power at the foot of the post with the load to be lifted, which is suspended from the end of the jib. Cranes are, however, made in a variety of forms, differing more or less from this type. Thus, a rotary crane is a crane in which the jib has simply a rotary motion about the axis of the post, moving with the post; a traveling crane is a crane in which the load can be given successively two horizontal motions at right angles with each other. Rotary cranes, again, have several forms, as that in which the load is suspended from the end of the jib, and the more complex kind, in which the load is suspended from a carriage that travels on a horizontal arm at the top of the jib, and gives the load a movement along the radius of the circle formed by the rotation of the jib. Another minor type is the derrick-crane, which employs guys to hold the post in position. Walking and locomotive cranes are portable forms, which are also called
traveling cranes . Cranes are operated by any kind of power and with any form of hoisting apparatus suited to the work to be done. See also cut underabutment-crane . - n. A machine for weighing goods, constructed on the principle of the preceding. Such machines are common in market-towns in Ireland. See craner.
- n. An iron arm or beam attached to the back or side of a fireplace and hinged so as to be movable horizontally, used for supporting pots or kettles over a fire.
- n. pl. Naut., supports of iron or timber at a vessel's side for stowing boats or spars upon.
- n. A siphon or bent pipe for drawing liquor out of a cask.
- To cause to rise as by a crane: followed by up.
- n. Same as cran.
- n. A crane mounted upon a car and fitted to run or traverse on a railway laid upon the ground, and either self-propelling or driven by a locomotive.
Wiktionary
- n. A large bird of the order Gruiformes and the family Gruidae having long legs and a long neck which it extends when flying.
- n. A mechanical lifting device, often used for lifting heavy loads for industrial or construction purposes.
- v. transitive To extend (one's neck).
- v. transitive To raise or lower with a crane.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Zoöl.) A wading bird of the genus Grus, and allied genera, of various species, having a long, straight bill, and long legs and neck.
- n. Any arm which swings about a vertical axis at one end, used for supporting a suspended weight.
- n. A machine for raising and lowering heavy weights, and, while holding them suspended, transporting them through a limited lateral distance. In one form it consists of a projecting arm or jib of timber or iron, a rotating post or base, and the necessary tackle, windlass, etc.; -- so called from a fancied similarity between its arm and the neck of a crane See
Illust. of Derrick. - n. An iron arm with horizontal motion, attached to the side or back of a fireplace, for supporting kettles, etc., over a fire.
- n. A siphon, or bent pipe, for drawing liquors out of a cask.
- n. (Naut.) A forked post or projecting bracket to support spars, etc., -- generally used in pairs. See Crotch, 2.
- n. (Zoöl.), Local, U. S. The American blue heron (Ardea herodias).
- v. rare To cause to rise; to raise or lift, as by a crane; -- with
up . - v. To stretch, as a crane stretches its neck.
- v. to reach forward with head and neck, in order to see better.
WordNet 3.0
- v. stretch (the neck) so as to see better
- n. United States poet (1899-1932)
- n. United States writer (1871-1900)
- n. large long-necked wading bird of marshes and plains in many parts of the world
- n. lifts and moves heavy objects; lifting tackle is suspended from a pivoted boom that rotates around a vertical axis
- n. a small constellation in the southern hemisphere near Phoenix
Etymologies
- From Old English cran, from Proto-Germanic *kran-, from Proto-Indo-European *gerh₂- (“to cry hoarsely”). (Wiktionary)
- Middle English, from Old English cran; see gerə-2 in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Thus, to return, in that little anecdote relative to the Conqueror and William Fitz-Osbern, mentioned above, not the crane, but _the flesh of the crane_ is said to have been under-roasted.”
The Forme of Cury A Roll of Ancient English Cookery Compiled, about A.D. 1390
“Closest crane is approximately 100 -150 feet South and East of the helipad.”
“It appears that the days of launching boats from the island to race out to shark attacks are overthe east landing crane is now closed to this kind of activity.”
“Government agencies are finally implementing data-sharing after nine people die in crane accidents ...”
“Government agencies are finally implementing data-sharing after nine people die in crane ...”
“Maybe I will call the burrito place in crane to see if they do anything different then yours.”
“Luciano Cheles has also observed that "on both sides of the [Carte de trionfi] card devoted to 'Geometria,' a wading bird that may well be a crane is represented in the foreground of the landscape," a feature that he suggests "hints at surveying" (Studiolo of Urbino, 81).”
Architecture and Memory: The Renaissance Studioli of Federico da Montefeltro
“I mean taking a bomb off the bottom of a car with a crane is jump impossible.”
Must Watch: Badass Transporter 3 Teaser Trailer!! « FirstShowing.net
“Ahn told me; he calls the crane turumi, bird of peace.”
“I fear that the sky-crane is either going to lead to even more cost growth or a new crater on Mars.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘crane’.
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Olde Englisc
English words of Anglo-Saxon origin.
onslaught, slain, clove, clave, thrice, nincompoop, scorn, storm, scant, lurk, beneath, atop and 143 more...
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SPOR - Olympic glossary
weightlift, orbitale, figure skate, speed skate, synchronizer, equestrian sport, bobsleigh, starting block, diesis, ligne, piste, water ski and 521 more...
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Phonestheme: CR- (or KR-)
Grateful credit to pterodactyl and http://reocities.com/SoHo/Studios/9783/phond1.html.
crook, crack, crane, cremains, cranberries, crimp, crow, crunch, crash, creak, croak, cronk and 94 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11250 more...
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IMCO - EU nomenclature
includes words of the "Prodcom list"
abaca, abdominal, abrasive, absorbent, absorber, accelerator, accessory, account book, accumulator, acebutolol, acetaldehyde, acetamide and 4515 more...
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animals (1 syllable)
A list of common animal names. Keep the list to 1 syllable words.No scientific names. No proper names like 'Fluffy' the elephant.Insects and other creatures (even ficticious) are welcome!You can ...
dog, cat, bear, bee, ass, ape, horse, squid, bug, hare, hawk, pig and 138 more...
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birds
birds with singular names from
at least 9 English dictionariesaasvogel, aberdevine, accentor, accipiter, aepyornis, agami, albatross, alcatras, alcid, alcidine, amadavat, amokura and 1056 more...
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Hence
Words with definitions that have a "hence" in them.
hanger, Deet, tripe, spindlelegs, fiddle, store, pluck, snap, villain, link, comedy, particular and 410 more...
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LIT - Iliad - key words and protagonists
abduct, abducting, abductor, Achaea, Achaean, Achilles, advise, Aegean, Aegean Sea, Aegina, aegis, Aeneas and 713 more...
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Construction Zone
Help me build a list of things you'd find in a construction zone or at a construction site.
rebar, lumber, cement, plywood, hard hat, hammer, nails, nail gun, insulation, electrical wiring, wood, crane and 62 more...
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Animals
pig, camel, ant, ape, donkey, badger, bat, beaver, bee, cat, dog, cow and 82 more...
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Not that kind of Mouse
Occasionally the name of a living thing is given to something inanimate. This is a list of those things.
slug (as in a spe..., horse (as synonym..., mouse (as in a co..., cat (as synonym f..., bee (as in spelli..., horse (as slang f..., horse (meaning a ..., horse (meaning ja..., horse (meaning po..., slug (as in a swa..., slug (as in types..., bug (as in a hidd... and 10 more...
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More Bird Wirds: North America
Birds endemic to the United States and/or North America.
toucan, peacock, weaver, bullfinch, redpoll, siskin, crossbill, finch, rosy-finch, oriole, cowbird, blackbird and 213 more...
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Animals (besides pottos)
.
robin, wagtail, frog, bunny, pronk, rabbit, fur, badger, mouse, bee, crepuscular, purr and 140 more...
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known words
words wot i already knew
antisyzygy, calenture, shill, saudade, sehnsucht, squonk, steganographic, anomie, wiggy, grok, hermeneutics, agrise and 206 more...
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Words I have to learn
exasperate, felony, weld, fraud, worksheet, ransom, rehearse, preliminary, offshore, parole, infamous, sieve and 436 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for crane.

ruzuzu For the measurement of herring, see cran. Aug 9, 2011
brianm1 April 9th. -- We left our miserable sleeping-place before sunrise. The road passed through a narrow sandy plain, lying between the sea and the interior salt lagoons. The number of beautiful fishing birds, such as egrets and cranes, and the succulent plants assuming most fantastical forms, gave to the scene an interest which it would not otherwise have possessed. (Darwin, Voyage of the beagle)
Darwin writes about cranes, while wikipedia states that they don't live in South Amerika.
How is this possible?
brian möhlmann Oct 2, 2009