| Crater | n. [ L. crater, cratera, a mixing vessel, the mouth of a volcano, Gr. krath`r, fr. keranny`nai to mix; cf. Skr. çrī to mix, çir to cook, çrā to cook. Cf. Grail, in Holy Grail. ] 1. The basinlike opening or mouth of a volcano, through which the chief eruption comes; similarly, the mouth of a geyser, about which a cone of silica is often built up. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. (Mil.) The pit left by the explosion of a bomb, shell, or mine. [ 1913 Webster ] 3. (Astron.) A constellation of the southen hemisphere; -- called also the Cup. [ 1913 Webster ] |
