Added 9 October 2026
crate
/kɹeɪt/ noun
Latin root: crātis Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about crate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
verb
-
Put into a crate; as for protection.
crate the paintings before shipping them to the museum
Origin
From Dutch krat (“crate, large box, basket”), from Middle Dutch cratte (“basketware, mold”), from Old Dutch *kratta, *kratto (“basket”), from Proto-Germanic *kratjô, *krattijô (“basket”), from Proto-Indo-European *gretH- (“plaiting, wicker, basket, cradle”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to bind, twist, wind”). Cognate with West Frisian kret (“wheelbarrow”), German Krätze (“basket”), Old English cræt, ceart (“cart, wagon, chariot”), Old Norse kartr (“wagon”), modern English cart. Wider cognates include Sanskrit ग्रन्थ (grantha, “a binding”). Alternatively from Latin crātis (“wickerwork”), perhaps from the same PIE root.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)