Meanings
- Perpendicular in angle; transverse.
e.g. crossbedding, crossband, crossmember
1 more example
. See visuals for difference between crossband and crossbuck.
Synonyms: ortho-
- Moving from one side to the other; across.
.
1 more example
e.g. crossfield, cross-city. When used for a rectangular space, this movement is typically diagonal, such as in crossbelt and crosscourt.
Synonyms: dia-
- Located in between. Often, but not necessarily, forming an H-shaped structure.
e.g. cross-passage, cross-tunnel, crossfire
Synonyms: inter-
- More than one, often in indicating applicability to several domains that are usually separate.
,
1 more example
e.g. crosslingual, cross-browser, crossfunctional, cross-cultural
- Involving two or more at the same time; coincident.
e.g. crossbreak, crosspost, crosscurrent
1 more example
The room was a cross-mixture of voices. "Come in Kelly 4.[…]" "Come in Stanhope.[…]" "Evans 9. Confirm.[…]"
1967 May, William F. Nolan, George Clayton Johnson, Logan's Run, Bantam, published 1976, →ISBN, page 14
- One entity affecting a similar entity, such as to transfer of one property from one entity to the other.
e.g. crossregulation, crossfeed, crossprotection
1 more example
To crossfeed as to supply one fuel tank of an aircraft with fuel from another. To crossregulate is when one metabolic pathway is regulated by the enzymes in another pathway. These are one-way influences, whereas the previous sense of mutuality has symmetric two-way influences; e.g. crossrepression is mutual repression of interacting systems.
Synonyms: trans-
Synonyms & antonyms
prefixPerpendicular in angle; transverse.
prefixMoving from one side to the other; across.
prefixLocated in between. Often, but not necessarily, forming an H-shaped structure.
prefixMore than one, often in indicating applicability to several domains that are usually separate.
prefixMutual exchange or influence, where both entities are affected in the same way. Mutuality.
prefixOne entity affecting a similar entity, such as to transfer of one property from one entity to the other.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*(s)ker-der.?
- Proto-Italic*kruks /*krukis
- Latincrux
- Old Irishcros
- Old Norsekross
- Old Englishcros
- Middle Englishcross
- Middle Englishcros-
- Englishcross-
From Middle English cros-, crosse- (“relating to a cross, forming a cross, in the shape of a cross or x”), from the noun (see cross) and also from across.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Danish tvær-
- tvær-indicating a direction (across)
Icelandic þver-
- þver-indicating a direction (across)
Irish tras-, tras-
- tras-expressing mutuality or exchange; switch
- tras-indicating a direction (across)
Norwegian Bokmål tverr-
- tverr-indicating a direction (across)
Polish inter-, między-
- inter-expressing mutuality or exchange; switch
- między-expressing mutuality or exchange; switch
- prze-indicating a direction (across)
- inter-indicating applicability to several domains that are usually separate
- między-indicating applicability to several domains that are usually separate
Scottish Gaelic tair-, tair-
- tair-expressing mutuality or exchange; switch
- tair-indicating a direction (across)
Cite this entry
cross-. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cross-
“cross-.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cross-. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cross-,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cross-.
Source: cross- on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.