cresset
cres·set/ˈkɹɛs.ɪt/noun
cresset is spelled C-R-E-S-S-E-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables (cres·set). It appears about once in every 44 million words in written English, the 204,233rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cresset means “A metal cup, suspended from or attached to the top of a pole and filled with burning pitch etc., used as portable illumination” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cresset is cressets.
How many letters and syllables are in cresset?
| Letters | 7: C-R-E-S-S-E-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: cres·set |
| In writing | about once in every 44 million words; the 204,233rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is cresset?
Cresset appears about once in every 44 million words in written English, the 204,233rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce cresset?
- US /ˈkɹɛs.ɪt/
- UK /ˈkɹes.ɪt/
- /ˈkɹes.ət/
Cresset has 2 syllables, split cres·set in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-cresset.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of cresset
- cressets plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cresset mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A metal cup, suspended from or attached to the top of a pole and filled with burning pitch etc., used as portable illumination.
- 2
A small furnace or iron cage to hold fire for charring the inside of a cask, and making the staves flexible.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cresset in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense iron cage to hold fire:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | antorcha |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does cresset come from?
Inherited from Middle English cresset, from Old French crasset, cresset (“sort of lamp or torch”); perhaps of Old Dutch or Old High German origin, and akin to English cruse and/or French creuset (“crucible”), the latter being from Gallo-Roman Vulgar Latin *croceolus.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).