Meanings
crescent spanner1
plural crescent spanners
- AustraliaNew ZealandbroadlyidiomaticinformalAn open-end adjustable spanner with a worm-drive thumbwheel. When the term adjustable spanner or adjustable wrench is used, this type (branded with any of many brands) is usually the type meant.
Synonyms: crescent wrench, Crescent wrench
- informalUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: any spanner made by the namesake company, which makes many tools.
Synonyms: crescent wrench, Crescent wrench
Crescent spanner2
plural Crescent spanners
- Alternative letter-case form of crescent spanner.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn open-end adjustable spanner with a worm-drive thumbwheel. When the term adjustable spanner or adjustable wrench is used, this type (branded with any of many brands) is usually the type meant.
nounUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: any spanner made by the namesake company, which makes many tools.
Origin
A genericization of the trade name of a company famous for making them (although it did not invent them); details are at Wikipedia. The trademark is still protected, and this genericized term is only informal and loose. Compare kleenex and coke.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
crescent spanner. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crescent%20spanner
“crescent spanner.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crescent%20spanner. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “crescent spanner,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crescent%20spanner.
Source: crescent spanner on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.