crisp

Pronunciation: /kɹɪsp/

The English word “crisp” has 20 meanings listed here.

adjective

Of hair: curling, especially in tight, stiff curls or ringlets; also (obsolete), of a person: having hair curled in this manner.
Of a body of water, skin, etc.: having a surface which is rippled or wrinkled.
Synonym of crispate (“of a leaf: having curled, notched, or wavy edges”); crisped.
Clear; also, shining, or smooth.
Having a consistency which is hard yet brittle, and in a condition to break with a sharp fracture; crumbly, friable, short.
Not limp; firm, stiff; not stale or wilted; fresh; also, effervescent, lively.
Of action, movement, a person's manner, etc.: precise and quick; brisk.
Of air, weather, etc.: cool and dry; also, of a period of time: characterized by such weather.
Of fabric, paper, etc.: clean and uncreased.
Of something heard or seen: clearly defined; clean, neat, sharp.
Not using fuzzy logic; based on a binary distinction between true and false.
Of wine: having a refreshing amount of acidity; having less acidity than green wine, but more than a flabby one.

noun

In full potato crisp: a thin slice of potato which has been deep-fried until it is brittle and crispy, and eaten when cool; they are typically packaged and sold as a snack.
Sometimes with a descriptive word: a crispy, savoury snack made of some other ingredient(s) (such as cornmeal or a vegetable) which is baked or deep-fried and eaten like a potato crisp.
A type of baked dessert consisting of fruit topped with a crumbly mixture made with fat, flour, and sugar; a crumble.
A banknote; also, a number of banknotes collectively.
Chiefly in to a crisp: a food item that has been overcooked, or a thing which has been burned, to the point of becoming charred or dried out.
The crispy rind of roast pork; crackling.
A curly lock of hair, especially one which is tightly curled.
A delicate fabric, possibly resembling crepe, especially used by women for veils or other head coverings in the past; also, a head covering made of this fabric.

Etymology

The adjective is derived partly from the following: * Etymology 1, adjective sense 1: Middle English crisp (“curly, wavy”), from Old English crisp (“curly”), from Latin crispus (“of hair: crimped, curly”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kris-, from *(s)ker- (“to bend; to turn”). * Etymology 1, adjective sense 2: from the above, and probably also onomatopoeic, representing a…

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