Crib Names a Manger, a Cot and a Cheat Sheet
A crib is a baby's bed. The word began as a feeding trough and picked up several other jobs.
A crib is a baby's cot in American English, and a manger or animal feeding trough in the older sense. The Nativity crib is the original meaning: a manger. From there it spread widely — a *crib* is a cheat sheet, from students copying answers as if stealing from a trough, and *to crib* means to plagiarise. In Britain a baby's bed is a cot and a crib is the Christmas scene, which is why the two Englishes disagree here.
- A baby's bed (American). *The baby's crib.*
- A manger. *The Nativity crib.*
- A cheat sheet. *A crib sheet.*
- To plagiarise. *He cribbed the answer.*
- Old English — *cribb*, a manger. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | crib | A crib. |
| Plural | cribs | Cribs. |
| Verb | crib | Cribbed. |
| Compound | crib sheet | A crib sheet. |
| Old English | cribb | A manger. |
- The baby slept in the crib.American.
- He kept a crib sheet.Notes.
- She cribbed the paragraph.Plagiarism.
British and American nursery words
- Crib / cot — the baby's bed
- Dummy / pacifier — the soothing teat
- Nappy / diaper — the same garment
- Pram / stroller — the wheeled carriage
- Cot in America means a folding camp bed instead
Old English *cribb*, a manger or stall, of Germanic origin.
Why does crib mean a cheat sheet?
From the idea of taking material that is not yours, as an animal feeds from a trough. To crib is to plagiarise.
Is a crib a baby's bed in Britain?
No. British English calls that a cot. A crib there usually means the Nativity scene.