crater

B2 Topic:Astronomy & Space

US /ˈkɹeɪ.tɚ/ UK /ˈkɹeɪ.tə(ɹ)/ See IPA manual

Freq #10987

Meanings

1

noun
A large bowl-shaped hole in the ground made by an impact or explosion.

The meteorite left a huge crater in the desert.
2

noun
The round, hollow opening at the top of a volcano.

Steam rose from the volcano's crater.
3

verb
To fail or collapse suddenly and completely.

The company's share price cratered after the scandal.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

3 verb · to fail or collapse... implode tank

Word family

Forms crateredcrateriformcrateringcraters

Derived forms crateralcraterformcrateriformcraterizationcraterkincraterlesscraterletcraterlikecraterouscrateryintercraterintracrater

Related forms calderamachtesh

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

lunar crater
a crater on the surface of the Moon

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Crater comes through Latin crater from Greek kratēr, a large, wide-mouthed bowl used for mixing wine with water. English adopted the word in the early 17th century for the similarly bowl-shaped hollow at a volcano’s mouth.

Etymology

From Latin crater (“basin; cup”), from Ancient Greek κρατήρ (kratḗr, “mixing bowl, wassail-bowl”), from κράμα (kráma, “mixture”), from κεράννυμι (keránnumi, “to mix, to mingle”).

Topics

Astronomy & Space General Vocabulary

External links

# crater

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈkɹeɪ.tɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkɹeɪ.tə(ɹ)/
**Frequency rank:** 10987

## Meanings
1. A large bowl-shaped hole in the ground made by an impact or explosion.
2. The round, hollow opening at the top of a volcano.
3. To fail or collapse suddenly and completely.

## Examples
- The meteorite left a huge crater in the desert.
- Steam rose from the volcano's crater.
- The company's share price cratered after the scandal.

## Derived Forms
- crateral
- craterform
- crateriform
- craterization
- craterkin
- craterless
- craterlet
- craterlike
- craterous
- cratery
- intercrater
- intracrater

## Related Forms
- caldera
- machtesh

## Etymology
From Latin crater (“basin; cup”), from Ancient Greek κρατήρ (kratḗr, “mixing bowl, wassail-bowl”), from κράμα (kráma, “mixture”), from κεράννυμι (keránnumi, “to mix, to mingle”).

## AI Etymology
crater comes from Latin crater (“basin; cup”), from Ancient Greek κρατήρ (kratḗr, “mixing bowl, wassail-bowl”), from κράμα (kráma, “mixture”), from κεράννυμι (keránnumi, “to mix, to mingle”). Current senses include A large bowl-shaped hole in the ground made by an impact or explosion and The round, hollow opening at the top of a volcano. English relatives and later formations include crateral, craterform, crateriform, caldera, machtesh.

## Topics
- Astronomy & Space
- General Vocabulary

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