crucial

• POS: Adjective
• HYPHEN: cru=cial

CIDE DICTIONARY

crucial, a. [F. crucial, fr. L. crux, crucis, cross, torture. See Cross.].

•  Having the form of a cross; appertaining to a cross; cruciform; intersecting; as, crucial ligaments; a crucial incision.  [1913 Webster]
•  Severe; trying or searching, as if bringing to the cross; decisive; as, a crucial test.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

crucial, adj.
1 decisive, critical.
2 disp. very important.

Derivative

cruciality n. (pl. -ies). crucially adv.

Etymology

F f. L crux crucis cross

THESAURUS

crucial

aboriginal, acute, basal, basic, central, charged, clamorous, climacteric, compelling, critical, crying, deciding, decisive, desperate, dire, elemental, elementary, embryonic, emergent, essential, exigent, fundamental, generative, genetic, germinal, high-pressure, high-priority, imperative, imperious, important, in embryo, in ovo, insistent, instant, kairotic, loaded, major, momentous, necessary, original, pivotal, pregnant, pressing, primal, primary, primeval, primitive, primordial, pristine, protogenic, radical, rudimentary, seminal, urgent, vital

ROGET THESAURUS

crucial

Crossing

N crossing, intersection, interdigitation, decussation, transversion, convolution, level crossing, reticulation, network, inosculation, anastomosis, intertexture, mortise, net, plexus, web, mesh, twill, skein, sleeve, felt, lace, wicker, mat, matting, plait, trellis, wattle, lattice, grating, grille, gridiron, tracery, fretwork, filigree, reticle, tissue, netting, mokes, rivulation, cross, chain, wreath, braid, cat's cradle, knot, entangle, cloth, linen, muslin, cambric, crossing, crossed, matted, v, transverse, cross, cruciform, crucial, retiform, reticular, reticulated, areolar, cancellated, grated, barred, streaked, textile, crossbarred, cruciate, palmiped, secant, web-footed, cross, thwart, athwart, transversely, at grade, crosswise.

Demonstration

N demonstration, proof, rigorous proof, conclusiveness, apodeixis, apodixis, probation, comprobation, logic of facts, experimentum crucis, argument, rigorous establishment, absolute establishment, conviction, cogency, (persuasion), demonstrating, demonstrative, demonstrable, probative, unanswerable, conclusive, apodictic, apodeictic, apodeictical, irresistible, irrefutable, irrefragable, necessary, categorical, decisive, crucial, demonstrated, proven, unconfuted, unanswered, unrefuted, evident, deducible, consequential, consectary, inferential, following, convincing, cogent, persuasive (believable), of course, in consequence, consequently, as a matter of course, necessarily, of necessity, probatum est, there is nothing more to be said, quod est demonstrandum, Q, E, D, it must follow, exitus acta probat.