crux
noun /krʌks/
/krʌks/
[singular]- the crux (of something) the most important or difficult part of a problem or an issue synonym nub
- Now we come to the crux of the matter.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- real
- be
- lie
- the crux of the matter
- the crux of the problem
Word Originmid 17th cent. (denoting a representation of a cross, chiefly in crux ansata ‘ankh’, literally ‘cross with a handle’): from Latin, literally ‘cross’.