crux

CEFRB2

/kɹʌks/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    The most important or difficult part of a problem.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A puzzle or difficulty.

Examples

  • The crux of his argument can be found on p. 56.

  • The crux of the matter is poverty, not responsibility.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • /krəks/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The critical or transitional moment or issue, a turning point.

  2. The basic, central, or essential point or feature.

  3. The hardest point of a climb.

More examples

In context

  • That's the crux of the matter.

  • The crux of her argument was that the roadways needed repair before anything else could be accomplished.

  • The final half-mile was the crux of the climb.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The blank of the matter is whether we can afford the new car.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

Borrowed from Latin crux (“cross, wooden frame for execution”), possibly from the Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, to bend”). Doublet of cross and crouch (“cross”).