a staff surmounted by a crook or cross, carried by bishops as a symbol of pastoral office
2.
the tip of a young plant, esp a fern frond, that is coiled into a hook
Word origin
C14: from Old French crossier staff bearer, from crosse pastoral staff, literally: hooked stick, of Germanic origin
crosier in American English
(ˈkroʊʒər)
noun
1.
a staff with a crook at the top, carried by or before a bishop or abbot as a symbol of his pastoral function
2. Botany
fiddlehead (sense 2)
Word origin
ME crocer < OFr crocier, bearer of a staff < croce, bishop's staff < ML crocia < Frank *krukja (akin to crutch); prob. infl. by assoc. with OFr croc, hook, hooked staff (< ON krōkr: see crook)
Examples of 'crosier' in a sentence
crosier
One of the saints in the stained-glass windows yawned, and put up his crosier elegantly to cover his mouth.