crest
/kɹɛst/noun, verb
crest is spelled C-R-E-S-T: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 4.5 times per million words in written English, the 12,045th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, crest means “The summit of a hill or mountain ridge” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of crest is crests.
How many letters and syllables are in crest?
| Letters | 5: C-R-E-S-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.5 times per million words; the 12,045th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is crest?
Crest appears 4.5 times per million words in written English, the 12,045th 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 crest?
- /kɹɛst/
Crest has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-crest.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of crest
- crests plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- cresting participle, present
- crested participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does crest mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The summit of a hill or mountain ridge.
- 2
A tuft, or other natural ornament, growing on an animal's head, for example the comb of a cockerel, the swelling on the head of a snake, the lengthened feathers of the crown or nape of bird, etc.
- 3
The plume of feathers, or other decoration, worn on or displayed on a helmet; the distinctive ornament of a helmet.
- 4
A bearing worn, not upon the shield, but usually on a helmet above it, sometimes (as for clerics) separately above the shield or separately as a mark for plate, in letterheads, and the like.
- 5
The upper curve of a horse's neck.
- 6
The ridge or top of a wave.
- 7
The helm or head, as typical of a high spirit; pride; courage.
- 8
The ornamental finishing which surmounts the ridge of a roof, canopy, etc.
verb
- 1
Particularly with reference to waves, to reach a peak.
- 2
To reach the crest of (e.g. a hill or mountain).
- 3
To furnish with, or surmount as, a crest; to serve as a crest for.
- 4
To mark with lines or streaks like waving plumes.
noun
- 1
Acronym of comparisons, reasons, examples, statistics, testimony, the five types of verbal support used to enhance an oral presentation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Crest in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | crête , huppe, aigrette , cimier , crinière |
| German | Gipfel , Helmzier, Zimir , Kamm, Haube, Krone |
| Portuguese | cume , pluma , timbre , crina , crista |
| Spanish | cornisa, cresta , penacho, copete |
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 crest come from?
From Middle English creste, from Old French creste (modern French crête) and perhaps continuing Old English cræsta (“crest, tuft, plume”); both ultimately from Vulgar Latin *cresta, from Latin crista. Doublet of crista. The informal meaning “design, logo” (noun sense 11) stems from a misinterpretation of the heraldic noun sense 4, which specifically refers to the object placed on top of the helm.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).