crater

crater · noun, verb¹

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromκρᾱτήρ“mixing-bowl, wassail-bowl”
2. Latin · borrowed fromcrātēr“basin”
3. English todaycrater

First coined 1613, from Latin crātēr (“basin”), from Ancient Greek κρᾱτήρ (krātḗr, “mixing-bowl, wassail-bowl”).

crater · noun²

crate + -er

Crater · proper noun³

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromκρατήρ“mixing bowl, wassail-bowl”
2. Latin · derived fromcrater“basin; cup”
3. English todayCrater

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”).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 1831 A hemispherical pit created by the impact of a meteorite or other object.
• from 1610s The basin-like opening or mouth of a volcano, through which the chief eruption comes; similarly, the mouth of a geyser, about which a cone of silica is often built up.
• from 1839 The pit left by the explosion of a mine or bomb.