| 释义 |
crane
I. \ˈkrān\ noun
(plural cranes or crane)
Etymology: Middle English cran, from Old English; akin to Old High German krano crane, Old Norse trani, Greek geranos, Latin grus crane, Sanskrit jarate he cries, it sounds; basic meaning: croaking
1. : any bird of the family Gruidae (order Gruiformes) consisting of a small group of tall wading birds superficially resembling the herons but structurally more nearly related to the rails and being usually larger than the herons and differing from them in having a schizognathous skull, plumage more compact, partly naked head, obtuse bill with large nostrils near the middle, and elevated hind toe
2.
a. Midland : great blue heron
b.
(1) : the common heron
(2) : cormorant
3. plural cranes : a projection often horizontal swinging about a vertical axis or having at one end a bend suggestive of a crane's neck: as
a. : a machine for raising and lowering heavy weights and transporting them through a limited horizontal distance while holding them suspended and usually having a jib of timber or steel sometimes affixed to a rotating post held by guys or having the hoisting apparatus supported by a trolley running on an overhead track
b. : a siphon or bent pipe for drawing liquid out of a ship
c. : a davit for handling lifeboats, anchors, or heavy weights — used usually in plural
d. : an iron arm with horizontal motion attached to the side or back of a fireplace and used for supporting kettles over a fire
e. : water crane
f. : a device or machine for weighing goods
g. : mail crane
h. : a boom of considerable size used in the motion-picture and television industry for holding a camera and sometimes a cameraman
4. or crane gray : a purplish gray that is bluer and duller than dove gray, bluer and slightly less strong than granite, darker and slightly redder than zinc, and bluer and darker than cinder gray — called also Prince gray
 [crane 1]
II. verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
transitive verb
1. : to raise or lift by or as if by a crane
< crane up building material >
2. : to stretch (the neck) forward
< crane one's neck to get a better view >
< crane one's neck out a window >
intransitive verb
1. : to stretch out one's neck : bend forward with head and neck in order to see better
< craning for a look >
2.
a. : to stop at an obstacle in hunting and look over before leaping
b. : to look before one leaps : hesitate
III. noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle French crâne, from Medieval Latin cranium — more at cranium
archaic : cranium |