crusade
UK[kruːˈseɪd]US[kruːˈseɪd]
n
any of a series of medieval military expeditions made by europeans to recover the holy land from the muslims.
n
a vigorous and organized effort or campaign for a political, social, or religious cause.
Etymology
the word 'crusade' entered english in the late 16th century from the french 'croisade' and spanish 'cruzada', both meaning an expedition marked by the cross. these romance language terms derive from medieval latin 'cruciata', the feminine past participle of 'cruciare' meaning 'to mark with a cross'. this latin verb is itself derived from 'crux, crucis', meaning 'cross'. the semantic journey is direct: from the literal cross sewn onto the garments of christian warriors, the term came to denote the holy wars themselves. over time, the meaning broadened metaphorically to describe any zealous campaign for a cause, carrying the original connotations of moral fervor and militant effort.
Analysis
the word is a simplex loanword from french and spanish, where it was already a unified form. it is not productively formed from separable english morphemes.
Examples
he fought in the third crusade to reclaim jerusalem.
she launched a personal crusade against environmental pollution.
the newspaper editorial called for a crusade to improve literacy rates.