crayon
UK[ˈkreɪ.ɒn]US[ˈkreɪ.ɑːn]
n
A stick of colored wax, charcoal, or chalk, used for drawing or writing.
v
To draw or color something with a crayon.
Morpheme Breakdown
cray
on
cray
chalk
on
noun suffix
Etymology
The word 'crayon' entered English in the 17th century from the French word 'crayon', which itself derived from 'craie', meaning 'chalk'. The French term originated from the Latin 'creta', signifying 'chalk' or 'clay'. The diminutive suffix '-on' gives the sense of a small stick or piece of chalk. Thus, the literal meaning of 'crayon' is a small stick of chalk, which evolved to encompass modern drawing implements made of colored wax or other materials.
Analysis
Structure: cray (chalk) + on (noun suffix)
- cray: From French 'craie' (chalk), ultimately from Latin 'creta' (chalk, clay).
- on: A French diminutive suffix, often used to form nouns.
Examples
The child used a red crayon to draw a large circle.
She carefully crayoned the details of the flower in her sketchbook.
The box contained a set of sixty-four different colored crayons.