crumb
crumb Lexical Profile
crumb Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A small fragment of a baked good, such as bread, cake, or biscuit.
"She carefully wiped a solitary crumb off the tablecloth after finishing her toast."
A very small amount of something, especially something abstract like comfort or evidence.
"The defense attorney argued that there was not a crumb of evidence linking his client to the crime."
A contemptible, unpleasant, or objectionable person.
"He felt like an absolute crumb for forgetting his mother's birthday."
• verb
To cover food with breadcrumbs before cooking or frying.
"The recipe instructs the chef to crumb the chicken cutlets before lowering them into the hot oil."
To break or rub a substance into small fragments.
"She used her hands to crumb the stale bread into a large mixing bowl for the stuffing."
To clear a table of small fragments of food, typically between courses in a formal restaurant setting.
"The waiter approached gracefully to crumb the table before serving the dessert course."
Word Nuance & Usage
The final 'b' is completely silent, presenting a minor spelling trap; it was historically added by false analogy with words like 'dumb'.
• Rhymes for crumb
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'cruma', meaning a fragment of bread. The unpronounced 'b' was added by scribes in the 16th century.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.