crux

Plural: cruces, cruxes

Noun

• The most important or essential point of a matter.
• a small conspicuous constellation in the southern hemisphere in the Milky Way near Centaurus
• the most important point
• The basic, central, or essential point or feature.
• The critical or transitional moment or issue, a turning point.
• A puzzle or difficulty.
• The hardest point of a climb.
• A cross on a coat of arms.

Examples

• The crux of her argument was that the roadways needed repair before anything else could be accomplished.
• The CRUX of his strategy was saving the ’S’ for a major plural play.

Synonyms

Crux Australis, crux of the matter, Southern Cross, bowels, brass tacks, core, crux, deets, details, drift, essence, gist, gravamen, guts, heart, heart and soul, heartstring, heartstrings, inwardness, kernel, marrow, meat, moral of the story, nitty-gritty, nub, nuts and bolts, pith, punctum saliens, quintessence, soul, spirit, stuff, substance, tenor

Related Words

cross, crucial