Cruet
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A small bottle or container used to hold a condiment, such as salt, pepper, oil, or vinegar, for use at a dining table.
""By Jupiter there's vinegar!" I heard him say to his friend, after he had stood on tiptoe an immense time, and had been crushed and beaten on all sides. "And there's oil!! I saw them distinctly, in cruets! Can any gentleman, in front there, see mustard on the table? Sir, will you oblige me! Do you see a Mustard-Pot?""
- 2 bottle that holds wine or oil or vinegar for the table wordnet
- 3 A stand for these containers. British
"He[…]even had a second slice of lamb, for he was hungry. During the meal, as was his custom, he read from a book propped up against the cruet."
- 4 A small vessel used to hold wine or water for the Eucharist.
Example
More examples""By Jupiter there's vinegar!" I heard him say to his friend, after he had stood on tiptoe an immense time, and had been crushed and beaten on all sides. "And there's oil!! I saw them distinctly, in cruets! Can any gentleman, in front there, see mustard on the table? Sir, will you oblige me! Do you see a Mustard-Pot?""
Etymology
From Middle English, from Anglo-Norman cruet, diminutive of Old French crue (“an earthen pot”), from Old Saxon krūka.
Related phrases
More for "cruet"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.