cross-treen.
1. Nautical (plural) Two horizontal cross-timbers supported by the cheeks and trestle-trees at the head of the lower and top masts, to sustain the tops on the lower mast, and to spread the top-gallant rigging at the top mast head; affording also a standing-place for seamen.Formerly sometimes used to include the trestle-trees.
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society > authority > punishment > capital punishment > [noun] > crucifixion > cross
roodOE
crossa1382
cross-tree1626
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > masts, rigging, or sails > spar > [noun] > mast > cross-trees
cross-tree1626
Jack1829
jackcrosstree1835
1626 J. Smith Accidence Young Sea-men 12 The trussell trees or crosse trees.
1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. iii. 16 The Crosse-trees are also at the head of the Masts, one let into another crosse, and strongly bolted with the Tressell trees.
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. at Cross-trees They are four in number..but strictly speaking only those which go thwart ships, are called cross-trees.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Cross-trees, certain pieces of timber..at the upper-ends of the lower-masts..to sustain the frame of the top.
1836 F. Marryat Mr. Midshipman Easy I. xiii. 209 The top-gallant cross-trees.
1871 J. Tyndall Fragm. Sci. (ed. 6) I. vi. 214 I climbed the mainmast, and standing on the cross-trees, saw the sun set.
2. (a) A gallows. (b) A cross.
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society > authority > punishment > capital punishment > hanging > [noun] > gallows
gallowsOE
gallows-treea1000
warytre?a1200
gibbet?c1225
gallow-forka1250
forkc1275
juisec1320
forchesc1380
crossa1382
treec1425
patible1428
justice1484
potencec1500
haltera1533
turning-tree1548
potentc1550
three treesa1566
chates1567
mare1568
furel1587
bough1590
gibe1590
derrickc1600
hangrella1605
cross-tree1638
Gregorian tree1641
wooden horse1642
timber-marec1650
triple tree1651
furca1653
nubbing1673
a horse that was foaled of an acorn1678
nub1699
Tyburn tree1728
raven-stone1738
picture frame1785
crap1789
lamp-iron1790
Moll Blood1818
stifler1818
scragging-post1819
government signposta1828
leafless tree1830
shuggie-shue1836
doom-tree1837
stob1860–62
1638 J. Ford Fancies i. 8 Not so terrible as a crosse tree that never growes, to a wag-halter-Page.
1647 R. Herrick This Crosse Tree in Noble Numbers 77 (title) This Cross Tree here Doth Jesus beare.
a1889 G. M. Hopkins Poems (1967) Notes, 323 And where I see the sweet cross-tree I in an instant would be gone.
1934 D. Thomas 18 Poems 29 The blood that touched the crosstree and the grail Touched the first cloud and left a sign.
1956 E. Muir Coll. Poems (1960) 228 The archaic peoples in their ancient awe, In ignorant wonder saw The wooden cross-tree on the bare hillside.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > cart, carriage, or wagon > parts of cart or carriage > [noun] > swingle-tree
swing-tree1396
swingletree1483
spring-tree1600
bridge tree1607
whippin1697
whippletree1733
cross-tree1765
splinter-bar1765
swindle-tree1801
shackle-bar1834
whiffletree1842
heel tree1846
single-tree1847
swingle-bar1849
pulling-tree1895
trace-block1900
1765 A. Dickson Treat. Agric. ii. 258 Instead of using a soam, and cross-trees for the second pair, as is commonly done in a four horse plough.
Compounds
attributive† cross-tree bar n. Obsolete (cf. 3).† cross-tree yard n. Obsolete a cross-jack yard.
ΚΠ
1692 Smith's Sea-mans Gram. (new ed.) i. xiv. 63 The Cross-tree yard..Cross-tree Brates.
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. Cross-tree-yard, a yard standing square just under the mizen top.
1787 G. Winter New Syst. Husbandry 310 A cross-tree bar must be fixed to the fore standards.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online June 2021).
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n.1626