crux

Other forms of crux

plural

cruces

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about crux

What does crux mean?

crux means "a small conspicuous constellation in the southern hemisphere in the Milky Way near Centaurus". That is the primary sense; the word has 2 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in crux?

crux has 1 syllable: crux. In IPA it is /ˈkɹʌks/.

What is another word for crux?

Close synonyms include Southern Cross, Crux Australis, crux of the matter. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is crux a common word?

crux is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.