crumb

[ kruhm ]

noun

1. a small particle of bread, cake, etc., that has broken off.
2. a small particle or portion of anything; fragment; bit.

   Synonyms: speck, sliver, morsel, shred, scrap

3. the soft inner portion of a bread ( crust ).
4. crumbs, a cake topping made of sugar, flour, butter, and spice, usually crumbled on top of the raw batter and baked with the cake.
5. Slang. a contemptibly objectionable or worthless person.

verb (used with object)

1. Cooking. to dress or prepare with crumbs.
2. to break into crumbs or small fragments.
3. to remove crumbs from:

   The waiter crumbed the table.

crumb

/ krʌm /

noun

1. a small fragment of bread, cake, or other baked foods
2. a small piece or bit

   crumbs of information

3. the soft inner part of bread
4. slang.
   a contemptible person

verb

1. tr to prepare or cover (food) with breadcrumbs
2. to break into small fragments

adjective

1. (esp of pie crusts) made with a mixture of biscuit crumbs, sugar, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈcrumber, noun

Other Words From

• crumba·ble adjective
• crumber noun
• de·crumb verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of crumb¹

before 1000; Middle English crome, crume, Old English cruma; akin to Dutch kruim, German Krume crumb, Latin grūmus heap of earth

Word History and Origins

Origin of crumb¹

Old English cruma; related to Middle Dutch krome, Middle High German krūme, Latin grūmus heap of earth

Example Sentences

As is usually the case with Scotland, a crumb of hope remains at the business end of a campaign.

From BBC

A draw would have arrested the grim feeling that has closed in on this group pretty much from the moment they qualified for the Euros, but they were denied the crumb Clarke would have turned into a feast.

From BBC

Regatta Cream Pie is a version of a rum cream pie with a crisp chocolate cookie crumb crust.

From Salon

Making the crumb crust: I make the crust right in my pie pan by first pouring the melted butter in and swirling it around to coat.

From Salon

I'm so intrigued by the inclusion of a few ingredients: country ham, daylily shoots, Harueki turnips, blackberries in a pasta dish, cornbread crumb, garum caramel, etc.

From Salon