Crotal

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A crotalum, a type of clapper used in Ancient Greece.
  2. 2
    Alternative form of crottle (“lichen used for dyeing”). alt-of, alternative
  3. 3
    any of several lichens of the genus Parmelia from which reddish brown or purple dyes are made wordnet
  4. 4
    A small round bell or rattle; a jingle bell.

    "The earliest type animal bell used was the crotal or sleigh bell. Rather than a round ball as we know it today, it was a birdcage style with pebble rolling around inside."

Synonyms

All synonyms
crotalumcrottalcrottlecrottle

Example

More examples

"The earliest type animal bell used was the crotal or sleigh bell. Rather than a round ball as we know it today, it was a birdcage style with pebble rolling around inside."

Etymology

Etymology 1

Either from French crotale or directly from Latin crotalum. Ultimately from Ancient Greek κρόταλον (krótalon, “clapper”). Doublet of crotalum.

Etymology 2

From Scottish Gaelic crotal.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.