crop
Pronunciation: (krop), [key]
— n., v., cropped cropt crop&sylping.
—n.
- the cultivated produce of the ground, while growing or when gathered: the wheat crop.
- the yield of such produce for a particular season.
- the yield of some other product in a season: the crop of diamonds.
- a supply produced.
- a collection or group of persons or things appearing or occurring together: this year's crop of students.
- the stock or handle of a whip.
- a short riding whip consisting of a stock without a lash.
- Also called
- a pouch in the esophagus of many birds, in which food is held for later digestion or for regurgitation to nestlings.
- a chamber or pouch in the foregut of arthropods and annelids for holding and partly crushing food.
- the act of cropping.
- a mark produced by clipping the ears, as of cattle.
- a close-cropped hair style.
- a head of hair so cut.
- an entire tanned hide of an animal.
- an outcrop of a vein or seam.
—v.t.
- to cut off or remove the head or top of (a plant, grass, etc.).
- to cut off the ends or a part of: to crop the ears of a dog.
- to cut short.
- to clip the ears, hair, etc., of.
- to cut off or mask the unwanted parts of (a print or negative).
- to cause to bear a crop or crops.
- to graze off (the tops of plants, grass, etc.): The sheep cropped the lawn.
—v.i.
- to bear or yield a crop or crops.
- to feed by cropping or grazing.
- Veins of quartz crop out in the canyon walls.
- Geol.,Mining.to rise to the surface of the ground:Veins of quartz crop out in the canyon walls.
- to become evident or visible; occur:A few cases of smallpox still crop out every now and then.
- to appear, esp. suddenly or unexpectedly: A new problem cropped up.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.