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adjective · 1 syllable · /kruːd/

CRUDE

What does "CRUDE" mean?

In a raw or natural state, or rough and unrefined in manner or workmanship.

Meanings

  1. In a raw or natural state, not processed or refined. The refinery turns crude oil into gasoline.
  2. Rough, basic, and lacking finish or sophistication. They built a crude shelter from branches and a tarp.
  3. Vulgar, rude, or offensively coarse. He ruined dinner with a string of crude jokes.
  4. Unrefined petroleum. The price of crude spiked after the pipeline closed.

Did you know?

  • 'Crude' and 'cruel' grew from the same Latin root meaning raw or bloody ('crudus' / 'cruor') - the unrefined and the heartless are linguistic cousins.

Word origin

From Latin 'crudus' (raw, bloody, uncooked), related to 'cruor' (blood) and to the same root behind 'raw' and 'cruel'; the core idea is something unprocessed.

Remember it

CRUDE is RUDE with a C in front - the rough manner and the rough oil share the same raw core.

A little poem

What the earth gives up is black and unrefined;
the work of refining is the work of the mind.

couplet

Wordplay

  • I told the oil baron his manners were crude. He said yes - and worth ninety dollars a barrel.

What it teaches

Crude is not worthless - it is only unfinished: every refined thing was once raw and waiting.

Quick facts

What does CRUDE mean?

In a raw or natural state, or rough and unrefined in manner or workmanship.

Is CRUDE a valid word?

Yes — CRUDE is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is CRUDE?

CRUDE has 5 letters and 1 syllable.

Where does CRUDE come from?

From Latin 'crudus' (raw, bloody, uncooked), related to 'cruor' (blood) and to the same root behind 'raw' and 'cruel'; the core idea is something unprocessed.

What can CRUDE teach us?

Crude is not worthless - it is only unfinished: every refined thing was once raw and waiting.

How players do

Be the first to solve it.

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