Etymology Map
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Crucial

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means decisive; critical

Where does the word "crucial" come from? It comes from Latin crux, passing through French before entering English (1830s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
crux
Latin · ancient
"cross"
the root of 'crucifix' and 'crusade'
2
Stage 2 of 3
crucial
French · 1700s
"cross-shaped"
Francis Bacon's 'instantia crucis', a crossroads test, gave the sense 'decisive'
3
Stage 3 of 3
crucial
English · 1830s
"decisive"
'crucial' as 'very important' dates from the 1900s
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Read the full story

Crucial’s story begins in Latin: crux meant “cross.” The root of 'crucifix' and 'crusade'. By 1700s, the word had taken hold in French as crucial. Francis Bacon's 'instantia crucis', a crossroads test, gave the sense 'decisive'. It reached English by 1830s as crucial. 'crucial' as 'very important' dates from the 1900s. Today, crucial means decisive; critical.