cruise

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kɹuːz/ (UK); /kɹuz/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Dutch kruisen (“to cross; to sail to and fro”),^[2][3][4][5] from kruis (“cross”), from Latin crux (“cross”) (see cross).^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

To sail to and fro without a particular destination: 1651.^[2][6][5]

Semantic evolution

The noun, a voyage in which a ship sails to and fro, is from 1706,^[2][3][6] and a pleasure voyage on a ship by 1906.^[3] Of aircraft and cars, to travel at a steady economical speed, is a later sense.^[6][7] To go about looking for a sexual partner is from 1904.^[6] Cruiser is from 1695, from Dutch kruiser,^[2] and a cruise missile is a guided missile flying low.^[8]

Timeline

• 1651 – to sail to and fro.^[2]
• 1695 – cruiser.^[2]
• 1706 – the noun.^[2]
• 1904 – to look for a partner.^[6]
• 1906 – a pleasure voyage.^[3]

Modern meaning

Verb

1. To sail about, especially for pleasure, calling at several places.
2. To travel at a steady, efficient speed.
3. To win easily: cruised to victory.

Noun

1. A voyage on a ship for pleasure, calling at several places.

Word family

• cruisingly
• cruiseway
• cruiser
• cruise control
• cruise missile
• cruise ship

Related words

• crusade
• cross
• crux

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins