Part 639

Once one may crave for love. Suckling.

Cra"ven (kr?"v'n), a. [OE. cravant, cravaunde, OF. cravant&?; struck down, p. p. of cravanter, crevanter, to break, crush, strike down, fr. an assumed LL. crepantare, fr. L. crepans, p. pr. of crepare to break, crack, rattle. Cf. Crevice, Crepitate.] Cowardly; fainthearted; spiritless. "His craven heart." Shak.

The poor craven bridegroom said never a word. Sir. W. Scott.

In craven fear of the sarcasm of Dorset. Macaulay.

Cra"ven, n. [Formerly written also cravant and cravent.] A recreant; a coward; a weak-hearted, spiritless fellow. See Recreant, n.

King Henry. Is it fit this soldier keep his oath? Fluellen. He is a craven and a villain else. Shak.

Syn. -- Coward; poltroon; dastard.

Cra"ven, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cravened (-v'nd); p. pr. & vb. n. Cravening.] To make recreant, weak, spiritless, or cowardly. [Obs.]

There is a prohibition so divine, That cravens my weak hand. Shak.

Crav"er (kr?v"?r), n. One who craves or begs.

Crav"ing (-?ng), n. Vehement or urgent desire; longing for; beseeching.

A succession of cravings and satiety. L'Estrange.

-- Crav"ing*ly, adv. -- Crav"ing*ness, n.

Craw (kr&add;), n. [Akin to D. kraag neck, collar, G. kragen, Sw. krńfva craw, Dan. kro, and possibly to Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?; (E. bronchus), or bro`chqos throat. √25. Cf. Crag neck.] (Zo÷l.) (a) The crop of a bird. (b) The stomach of an animal.

{ Craw"fish` (kr&add;"f&ibreve;sh`), Cray"fish` (krā"f&ibreve;sh`) }, n.; pl. -fishes or -fish. [Corrupted fr. OE. crevis, creves, OF. crevice, F. Úcrevisse, fr. OHG. krebiz crab, G. krebs. See Crab. The ending -fish arose from confusion with E. fish.] (Zo÷l.) Any crustacean of the family AstacidŠ, resembling the lobster, but smaller, and found in fresh waters. Crawfishes are esteemed very delicate food both in Europe and America. The North American species are numerous and mostly belong to the genus Cambarus. The blind crawfish of the Mammoth Cave is Cambarus pellucidus. The common European species is Astacus fluviatilis.

Craw"ford (kr&add;"f&etilde;rd), n. A Crawford peach; a well-known freestone peach, with yellow flesh, first raised by Mr. William Crawford, of New Jersey.

Crawl (kr&add;l), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Crawled (kr&add;ld); p. pr. & vb. n. Crawling.] [Dan. kravle, or Icel. krafla, to paw, scrabble with the hands; akin to Sw. krńla to crawl; cf. LG. krabbeln, D. krabbelen to scratch.] 1. To move slowly by drawing the body along the ground, as a worm; to move slowly on hands and knees; to creep.

A worm finds what it searches after only by feeling, as it crawls from one thing to another. Grew.

2. Hence, to move or advance in a feeble, slow, or timorous manner.

He was hardly able to crawl about the room. Arbuthnot.

The meanest thing that crawl'd beneath my eyes. Byron.

3. To advance slowly and furtively; to insinuate one's self; to advance or gain influence by servile or obsequious conduct.

Secretly crawling up the battered walls. Knolles.

Hath crawled into the favor of the king. Shak.

Absurd opinions crawl about the world. South.

4. To have a sensation as of insect creeping over the body; as, the flesh crawls. See Creep, v. i., 7.

Crawl (kr&add;l), n. The act or motion of crawling; slow motion, as of a creeping animal.

Crawl, n. [Cf. Kraal.] A pen or inclosure of stakes and hurdles on the seacoast, for holding fish.