crisp

 
Pronunciation: /krɪsp/

adjective

  • 1(of a substance) firm, dry, and brittle: crisp bacon the snow is lovely and crisp
  • (of a fruit or vegetable) firm and juicy: a crisp lettuce
  • (of paper or cloth) stiff and uncreased: £65 in crisp new notes
  • (of hair) having tight curls.
  • 2(of the weather) cool, fresh, and invigorating: a crisp autumn day
  • 3(of a way of speaking) briskly decisive and matter-of-fact, without hesitation or unnecessary detail: her answer was crisp

noun

  • 1 (also potato crisp) British a wafer-thin slice of potato fried or baked until crisp and eaten as a snack: cut down on fatty snacks such as crisps
  • 2a dessert of fruit baked with a crunchy topping of brown sugar, butter, and flour: rhubarb crisp

verb

[with object]
  • 1give (food) a crisp surface by placing it in an oven or under a grill: crisp the pitta in the oven
  • [no object] (of food) develop a crisp surface in an oven or under a grill: open the foil so that the bread browns and crisps
  • 2 archaic curl (something) into short, stiff, wavy folds or crinkles: there is a cooling breeze which crisps the broad clear river

Phrases

burn something to a crisp

burn something completely, leaving only a charred remnant: it is better to cook it slowly than to burn it to a crisp

Derivatives

crisply

adverb

crispness

noun

Origin:

Old English (referring to hair in the sense 'curly'): from Latin crispus 'curled'. Other senses may result from symbolic interpretation of the sound of the word