crone

[ krohn ]

noun

1. an old woman, especially one perceived as frightening or ill-tempered:

   A wrinkly, ragged old crone was sitting in the corner by the woodstove, wrapped in a shawl.

   Don’t be intimidated by that crotchety old crone.

2. a witch:

   They figured the pear tree wasn’t bearing because the village crone had cursed it with the evil eye.

3. Crone, (in Neopaganism) the third form of the Goddess, represented as an old woman and said to symbolize maturity, wisdom, and the final stages of life or growth. Compare maiden ( def 3 ), mother ¹( def 10 ).
4. a woman past the age of menopause, regarded as a person of maturity and wisdom (also used attributively):

   Our first speaker is a crone, herbalist, and therapist who specializes in counseling women.

   The course looks at grandmothers represented in literature as repositories of crone wisdom, from early to modern times.

crone

/ krəʊn /

noun

1. a witchlike old woman

Other Words From

• cron·ish adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of crone¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle Dutch croonie “old ewe,” from Old North French caronie carrion

Word History and Origins

Origin of crone¹

C14: from Old Northern French carogne carrion, ultimately from Latin caro flesh

Example Sentences

Unlike Eugène Delacroix’s 1830 image of a beautiful and bare-breasted personification of French freedom, Kollwitz’s crone is shown from the back, her sinewy arms raised and hands clenched urgently, practically launching herself into the crowd.

From New York Times

True enough; and I’m happy to report that there is no resemblance whatsoever between these patchwork crones and the artist.

From New York Times

“One of them said, ‘This old crone is proud of you.’”

From New York Times

A housesitter must reckon with a pair of crones — or are they maidens?

From Washington Post

Here’s the appropriately macabre opening of Coleridge’s “The Crime of the Urchin Mary”: “It was an ancient crone who wrote / Silly rhymes for tots / Was stopped by a maid in a pinafore / With blood-red polkadots.”

From Washington Post