Cruise Control and a Cruise Ship Share an Idea
To cruise is to travel at a steady comfortable pace. The Dutch original meant to cross, as a ship crosses the sea.
To cruise is to travel steadily without hurry or a fixed destination. The Dutch *kruisen* means to cross, as a ship crosses back and forth over a stretch of sea. That idea of unhurried movement produced the cruise ship, the cruising speed of an aircraft and, in cars, cruise control — the setting that holds a steady pace.
- To travel at a steady pace. *Cruising at altitude.*
- A holiday voyage. *A Mediterranean cruise.*
- To win easily. *They cruised to victory.*
- Cruise control — a speed-holding device. *Set the cruise control.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | cruise | Cruise the coast. |
| Past | cruised | They cruised home. |
| Noun | cruise | A two-week cruise. |
| Noun | cruiser | A heavy cruiser. |
| Related | cross | Cross the channel. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The aircraft cruises at 900 kilometres an hour.Aviation.
- They cruised to a comfortable win.Sport.
- A cruiser was a warship built for range.Naval.
Cruise in different contexts
- Cruise ship — a vessel for leisure voyages
- Cruising speed — the efficient steady speed of a vehicle
- Cruise control — a system holding a set speed
- Cruiser — a warship class between destroyer and battleship
- Cruise missile — one that flies a sustained low-level path
From Dutch *kruisen*, to cross, from *kruis*, a cross, from Latin *crux*. English took it in the seventeenth century as a naval term.
Are cruise and cross related?
Yes. Both go back to Latin *crux*. A cruising ship crossed a patch of sea back and forth.
Why is a warship called a cruiser?
Because it was built to cruise independently over long distances rather than fight in a battle line.