Part 633

Cramp, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cramped (kr&?;mt; 215); p. pr. & vb. n. Cramping.] 1. To compress; to restrain from free action; to confine and contract; to hinder.

The mind my be as much cramped by too much knowledge as by ignorance. Layard.

2. To fasten or hold with, or as with, a cramp.

3. Hence, to bind together; to unite.

The . . . fabric of universal justic is well cramped and bolted together in all its parts. Burke.

4. To form on a cramp; as, to cramp boot legs.

5. To afflict with cramp.

When the gout cramps my joints. Ford.

To cramp the wheels of wagon, to turn the front wheels out of line with the hind wheels, so that one of them shall be against the body of the wagon.

Cramp, a. [See Cramp, n.] Knotty; difficult. [R.]

Care being taken not to add any of the cramp reasons for this opinion. Coleridge.

Cram"pet (kr?m"p?t), n. [See Cramp,n.] (Mil.) A cramp iron or cramp ring; a chape, as of a scabbard. [Written also crampit and crampette.]

Cramp"fish` (kr?mp"f?sh`), n. (Zo÷l.) The torpedo, or electric ray, the touch of which gives an electric shock. See Electric fish, and Torpedo.

Cramp" i`ron (?`rn). See Cramp, n., 2.

Cram"pit (krăm"p&ibreve;t), n. (Mil.) See Crampet.

||Cram"pon (krăm"p&obreve;n), n. [F. See Crampoons.] (Bot.) An aŰrial rootlet for support in climbing, as of ivy.

Cram`po*nee" (krăm`p?-n?"), a. [F. cramponnÚ. See Crampoons.] (Her.) Having a cramp or square piece at the end; -- said of a cross so furnished.

Cram*poons" (krăm*p&oomac;nz"), n. pl. [F. crampon, fr. OHG. chramph crooked; akin to G. krampf cramp. See Cramp,n., and cf. Crampon.] 1. A clutch formed of hooked pieces of iron, like double calipers, for raising stones, lumber, blocks of ice, etc.

2. Iron instruments with sharp points, worn on the shoes to assist in gaining or keeping a foothold.

Cramp"y (krămp"&ybreve;), 1. Affected with cramp.

2. Productive of, or abounding in, cramps. "This crampy country." Howitt.

{ Cran (krăn), Crane (krān) }, n. [Scot., fr. Gael. crann.] A measure for fresh herrings, -- as many as will fill a barrel. [Scot.] H. Miller.

Cran"age (krān"&asl;j), n. [See Crane.] 1. The liberty of using a crane, as for loading and unloading vessels.

2. The money or price paid for the use of a crane.

Cran"ber*ry (krăn"b&ebreve;r*r&ybreve;), n.; pl. Cranberries (- r&ibreve;z). [So named from its fruit being ripe in the spring when the cranes return. Dr. Prior.] (Bot.) A red, acid berry, much used for making sauce, etc.; also, the plant producing it (several species of Vaccinum or Oxycoccus.) The high cranberry or cranberry tree is a species of Viburnum (V. Opulus), and the other is sometimes called low cranberry or marsh cranberry to distinguish it.

Cranch (kr?nch), v. t. See Craunch.

Crane (krān), n. [AS. cran; akin to D. & LG. craan, G. kranich, krahn (this in sense 2), Gr. ge`ranos, L. grus, W. & Armor. garan, OSlav. zerav&ibreve;, Lith. gerve, Icel. trani, Sw. trana, Dan. trane. √24. Cf. Geranium.] 1. (Zo÷l.) A wading bird of the genus Grus, and allied genera, of various species, having a long, straight bill, and long legs and neck.

&fist; The common European crane is Grus cinerea. The sand-hill crane (G. Mexicana) and the whooping crane (G. Americana) are large American species. The Balearic or crowned crane is Balearica pavonina. The name is sometimes erroneously applied to the herons and cormorants.